Love Me, Hate Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
by Mizuki Nashi
Summary: She does not have a name, but she has a song. A song she cannot sing. A song that cannot be heard. A song that is destined to bring her sorrow. That is, until an emotionless, cold killer comes into her life bringing fire and darkness. He turns her dark world upside down. But whether for better or worse, no one is entirely sure.
1. Chapter One

**One**

The room she laid in was dark. The walls were made of stone and moans. Her body shivered as a breeze sliced through her, despite there being no such breeze around. She curled into herself as she rested upon the floor, half dazed and silent. Her bright silver eyes were half open as she stared blankly at the stone wall in front of her. A cot in the corner of her view, she inhaled a bit before exhaling, loudly. Her body was cold, but it was not something that she could not handle. Being used to her lack of clothing, the young woman continued to lay and stare. Her chest rose and fell with every breath she took. He bare, supple breasts moved with every inhale and exhale. The moans she heard echoed from across the hall, where it seemed like a completely different place. There were curtains, open to signify an open room or closed signifying that it was in use. The room across her cell was open, obviously, though she had just finished being used not long ago.

The young woman felt as she always did. Dirty. Grunged. Filthy. Her skin was coating in dried liquids from only the heavens know where or whom as she finally found the energy to move. Her frail, thin arms moved first and brought her to her knees. Her body thin, but with enough meat to hide her bones, she was the perfect target for her Master's guests. She was young. Only nineteen human years she has been alive, but she felt like she was doing this for many, many more years than that. The loud locks from the steel door at the end of the corridor echoed off the walls. She cringed, forcing herself to her feet as she made it to the stone cold wall, draping a sheer cloth over her breasts, swirling it around her thin frame until she could be satisfied that she didn't look as much as a whore as she did mere moments ago. She leaned against the wall and ran her fingers through her long tousled locks, framing her face just like her Master had demanded for her to show off to his customers. She waited in her small cell, hearing the clop of shoes against the half stone, half linoleum flooring as the client examined the girls through the bars, grunting in arousal as the girls flirted and flaunted, daring him to pass them by in all their seduction.

Luckily for the young woman, the client did not make it far into the hall before choosing a girl and flitting off into her adjacent bedroom to start their play. Careful as to not tear the sheer, lily white fabric, the young girl slid down the stone wall and sat upon her sore bottom before letting a sigh escape her pale, soft lips. A shiver rocketed through her as she heard a new moan in the choir of them and brought her frail, thin knees to her chest, wrapping her small weakened arms around the knees, clutching to them tightly. She had grown accustomed to being her Master's favorite prize and would never dare to defy him after that night years ago when he put an end to her rebelliousness, permanently. The young maiden waited, hoping and praying that there were to be no more clients for the night. Slowly, but surely, men came from the rooms, helping escort the girls back to their holding cells before heading off with a bounce in their steps. Shivering at the icy temperatures of being underground, the young maiden closed her eyes, silently praying that she could just vanish from her cell and hide away some place that would be safe. Some place she could call home, but she knew that with all her heart, it would never occur. Thus, her hopes crushed.

She would be stuck in this service for life.

It was a truth she had taken to heart three years ago when her Master had told her of her new role in his command. She took the job with a heavy heart, not enjoying being used like a common whore. Her eyes, which were once bright and full of life, became dark and dull with her loss of personality. She was now a wandering body in the sea of male desires. She could not fight it. She was bounded by his power. Too weak to fight back, she accepted it and kept to herself. Emotions other than lust and desire in this field were highly frowned upon and she would not put herself in a dangerous position of possible punishment with her Master if she could avoid it. The area was quiet now, the girls all asleep and the sun shining brightly through the small slits at the highest point on the stone walls for fresh air. She inhaled deeply before rolling onto her back, eagerly looking forward to the time they would be permitted to bathe. She loathed smelling like men, sweat and filth. Stomach rolling with her thoughts, she groaned and flipped onto her side.

Hours passed, slowly, as she laid there, drifting in and out of sleep for momentary lapses of time. It was not until the clang of cell doors opening shook her awake, that she moved to sit up and whine with the soreness of her body. Her last client had not been gentle. She shivered as she struggled to her feet and walked forth, trudging to the open door to the rest of the girls. Some looked as tired as she while others seemed quiet and rested. It was sad to see those girls who were rested, because it meant that they had not brought in a client, thus marking them useless to their Master. She shivered as she thought about the other uses the Master would put them as. None had a good outcome. Despite the soreness of her body, she pressed forward with the rest of the girls, watching as guards pulled some aside to have their time with them. She kept her eyes forward, learning how the girls were chosen. Once you looked into the guards' eyes, you might as well consider them your next client because they definitely consider you their new toy.

Eyes straight, she trudged on, into the showers. She mechanically moved forth to claim her shower corner and just stood beneath the cascading droplets of heat. It was like flames against her pale skin, turning it a bright pink as she stood there. Her pale silver eyes were closed as she shivered from the sudden temperature change. They chatter of the girls who were friends drifted to her ears over the roar of the waters. She sighed and turned, hands coming up to her hair as she began to cleanse the dirt and grime from her snowy white tresses, smiling gently as she was able to see the few thick streaks of color within her hair. The dirt fell away with the dripping waters, leaving her hair feeling decent and her body feeling cleaner than before. The allotted time for their showers dwindled as they were instructed from the area to their cells again, clean clothes placed out for them in their respective "rooms". She waltzed over to the clothes, picking them up gingerly before examining them with hawk eyes. Thin grey material that fell to right beneath her bust, exposing her stomach and a short skirt covered her nether regions and behind. She sighed and sat in the corner of the room. Another long day of confinement was ahead and she was not looking forward to it.

The light that filtered through the high window barred by steel became a soft golden hue after hours of daylight filtering in. The females were permitted to bathe just an hour ago and were escorted back to their rooms, each finding new clothes to put on by dusk. The simple cloth caught her eye as she entered and sighed heavily. What else could she do but accept the piece, wrapping it around her torso and hips, covering her womanhood the best she could, trying to keep the dignity she always claimed she still had. She found her spot near the wall and sat, fingers raking through her hair as she tried to flatten the frizzed mass of white fuzz. The golden streaks slowly disappeared as dusk slowly approached and she groaned, still sore from the night before. Her skin looked sickly and pale, once a beautiful caramel from the sun's rays when she had been able to go outside. Now, restricted to a cell, used for profit, she had lost the beautiful coloration and looked frail and young.

According to her Master, she was the perfect fit for a lot of his clientele. She was thin, curved perfectly and had the long hair many of his clients desired. She seemed frail and fragile, another point for his clients. They want a female they can rough up and force control upon, someone weaker than them. For her, she was the weakest she could have ever possibly been because of the stupid lack of will. Master broke her in properly and she was too afraid repeat her mistakes. She knew that this time, her carelessness could get her killed. The clang of the doors opened and Master's assistant strolled through, eyeing them like pieces of meat. If she didn't know any better she would have assumed that he was drooling at the amount of flesh they were showing, her more so than the others. He nodded and left. Within her subconscious, a timer began. Usually it would only take an hour and a half before the customers arrived for their spoils once they were looked over. She wanted the time to fly pass and prayed that she would have a gentler client tonight, but her wishes were not going to be granted; a truth she did not wish to accept. Her hair finally dried and falling in its proper place, she had her bangs cover her left side of her face and stood as the timer ticked in her head, nerves racking her body.

The last twenty minutes passed slowly and she waited for the clang of metal. For seconds she waited. Seconds slowly turned into minutes and minutes into hours. The females were restless as the doors stayed shut. A shiver shot down her spine at the eerie feeling bubbling in the pit of her stomach as she tried to control her breathing. Her small frame moved towards the bars of her cell-cage and she listened intently. No females were in use, no men were flitting through the door and there was a light hum of whispers as the other females tried to connect the dots, hoping to find a cause for the strange silence that settled around their small area. Hours passed before the first clang of the metal resonated through the corridor and multiple shoes slammed against the stone floor as men flooded in. She heard all of the doors open and realization slammed into her abdomen, her stomach lurching as they moved like a heard, multiple men grabbing at them and pawing at their cloths and outfits. The sounds of screams, ripping fabrics, cold laughter and slurred voices found their way to her ears as she struggled in the grasp of two men. Her silver eyes were wide. Five men occupied her cell with her and she inhaled sharply as the cloth was ripped from her body. The dreaded stench of alcohol was pungent on their breaths while they held her down and shed their own clothing. A silent cry was at her throat as they leered at her. She was horrified at the screams and cries of the other females, cringing as they forced her to her knees, banging them roughly against the cold rock below. Silently, she prayed that she was going to survive the night as they closed in on her and she forced her eyes closed.

_Happy place. _Her thoughts began; _you must find your happy place. _

Thus began another long and dreadful night.


	2. Chapter Two

**Two**

No matter how many times she scrubbed at her god forsaken skin, the stench of alcohol and men wafted to her nose. She knew that last night there had been quite the party and the alcohol consumption was great to have the chaos that occurred, happen. Hey dull grey eyes were glassy with unshed tears as she scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed at her skin until it was red and she was forced to stop. She trudged with the other females back to their holding cells, and refused to put on her cloth, shivering at the thought of what occurred last night. It was the first time she had ever encountered such violence and contact, but the other females seemed to be content with how they managed themselves. The time was long and the pain numbed to a tolerant level after the initial contact, but she was still emotionally scarred by what occurred. The day was beginning and the young female found that it was time to sleep. Eagerly, she let herself collapse on the small cot in the back corner and let darkness sweep over her, taking a tight grasp upon the young woman.

Meanwhile, in another area, the rising sun indicated the camping group the trudge on. The four men and single female rose and moved on, leaving their small camp ground to find the large energy pulse they were instructed to locate. The female lead the group, ignoring the conversations being held as she held out the infernal device that had made them get lost in the first place, attempting to locate the energies they have been tracking the past three days. Now that they were approaching their target, the males became quiet until a large mansion came into view. They hid in the undergrowth, watching as various men clapped one another on the back and shook hands, bidding farewell. The leader of the group, clad in a bright leafy green tee and fair blue jeans arched a brow as the men slowly left the premises, leaving one male there. He grunted as the person slipped back into the house and turned toward his friends.

"This is it." Came the young woman's confirmation, "That mansion is where the energy is coming from."

"Do you know what demon it is?" came the leader's response.  
The woman looked at her traveling companion with her bubble gum pink eyes and sighed. Her palms played with the dark blue turtleneck sweater that hugged her torso as her eyes flickered from the boys to the mansion.

"We have no idea, Yusuke," came her response, "but we do know that he is dangerous. He's stolen various things and the ones linked to his thieving ring refused to answer. They seemed really scared of their boss. Whatever he is, he's powerful."

"Botan, you seem nervous."

The blue haired woman looked at their redheaded friend and sighed.

"It's just, you all haven't done a mission for us in so long and we don't know this demon's strength level, who he is or what he can do. I know you guys are strong, but I can't help but worry. We don't know what's going on in there and I hate sending you in blind." said Botan, fingers clutching the hem of her sweatshirt.

"Feh, don't worry about it Botan," came the annoyingly gruff reply of the tallest member of the team, "Besides, I've been itching for a fight for a while now. I'm sure Urameshi is, too."

The big goofy grin plastered upon his face caused her to nod.

"Thank you Kuwabara." said Botan, turning back to the dark haired leader, "I'll wait for you guys here. Be careful in there okay?"

"Sure. C'mon guys!" came his reply.

The four boys stood and quickly made their way towards the front door. The manor seemed silent, but they knew better. This manor was filled with thieves, bandits and murderers. They could feel that demons littered the area, guarding the precious bounty which laid within. The leader, an eighteen year old male known by the name of Yusuke Urameshi, stepped back before letting his old, reckless self, emerge. With a mischievous grin, he let his foot fly. The doors snapped open and the four of them filtered into the room, high on alert to make sure they would not be caught off guard. Guards swarmed in, low class demons charging them. With a shout from the redheaded fox demon, the shortest male of the group gave a curt nod and disappeared, leaving the three companions to deal with the oncoming demons.

The short companion that had slipped away searched the mansion from top to bottom. The artifact they were sent for was nowhere to be found on this side of the manor. He wandered the first floor halls once more before growling. He began to make his way back towards the foyer where he had left his companions, when a laugh caught his attention. Skilled as he was, he pressed himself against the wall, hidden by the oncoming shadows as he pinpointed the source of the sound. Two males, both demons he saw, were coming out from behind a wall? Looking closer, he waited until the men disappeared before slinking over to the wall. It was covered by a bookcase. With a cock of his head to the side, he reached out and pulled on the shelving, causing it to slide open as the clanging of metal opening reached his ears. Keeping this area in mind, he pressed forth. The moment the door closed behind him, he was bombarded with the stench of human females and sex. He knew exactly what this was as he pressed forward, watching as the females stood and posed, acting as though they wanted him to claim them.

The rulers of Spirit World are going to love this human trafficking ring. He stalked passed the cells slowly. The first three held human females, purring and beckoning for him to take them, but he passed them by. He only wanted a count to report back to his comrades. As he passed the third cell, the female within caught his eyes. He knew by the mere color of her hair that she was not human and he stopped in his tracks. He stared at her for a few moments, ignoring the human females' purrs and calls as he watched the female stir. She opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing them and looking around curiously. Upon seeing him, however, he watched as her eyes widened significantly and she jumped up in alarm. Fear was radiating off of her as she leaned against the cell wall, provocatively thrusting out her chest for him as she tried to calm down. His nose scrunched up at her forced posing and he scoffed. Human and demon slaves? Yes, Spirit World was going to enjoy busting the leader of this ring.

He ignored the rest of the females as he continued to trek down the stone corridor. First, he would get the artifact, and then find his companions. He would let them deal with the human females and their release. Finding it mounted upon the wall at the end of the corridor, he made a grab for it before darting back to the main room to locate his companions. The sight he came across was bloody but his team was all right. The leader, Yusuke, grinned as he saw the artifact in his hands and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Great work, Hiei!" came the Detective's praise, "now let's get back to Koenma! Quickest case ever!"

The short one, Hiei, shook his head as he passed Yusuke the artifact.

"There is more." He grunted, "The bastards have kidnapped a good amount of females."

The redheaded companion seemed to realize what he was saying and his emerald green eyes narrowed considerably.

"You mean there is a human trafficking ring here, Hiei?"

The male nodded. The oaf roared with rage, Yusuke growled and the redhead asked to be taken there. It took him no time showing them the hidden corridor and they were stunned when the human females in the first few cells purred and called out to them, showing off their curves and bodies. Catching the redhead's attention as the other two began to release them; Hiei motioned into the fourth cell. The female seemed to realize that the commotion wasn't arguing about which female they could have but how they were going to get them all out of here at the same time. Cheers and whoops of excitement coursed through the cells from all of the human females, however, the demoness they watched curled into a ball and sat in a corner, shivering. The four males went through and began to unlock the cells.

The orange haired male unlocked hers and grinned at her as the door flew open. He waited for her to move but she held fast in her spot and she watched as his grin faded. Behind him, she saw, the females rushed out and she shivered. Her snowy locks fell in waves about her frame as she clutched her cloth to her. The last of the females filtered out, led by the two of the other males. The tall male with orange hair and a pale complexion stepped forward into her cell and towards her. She pressed herself against the cold wall, eyes widening as he reached out to her. Instinct took over as his hand closed in on her and she did the only thing she could; bite.

The oaf's ear piercing scream resonated as he yanked his hands back, creating three lines of blood as his flesh tore. The three boys soon entered the room and examined their friend's injury before looking to her. Her wide eyes were silver, Hiei noticed, and her hair was a long snowy white was wavy and fell to her hips. Silver eyes. They resonated a memory and he shivered. Silver eyes belonged to those of song. Remembering his last encounter with a demon like her, he glared. She was trembling and apparently weak. Not wanting to stay in this disgusting manor any longer, he marched right over to her and stared down at her, glaring with his crimson eyes. Without a word the female stared up at him and realized what he was and with a quick movement to rival his own, she attached herself to the fire demon's leg. His crimson eyes widened and he looked over at his friends, hoping they would remove her. Yusuke tried to contain his laughter as he came over, speaking gentle words to soothe her. The fire demon could feel her body trembling as he reached out to her and sure enough, before he could warn the dark haired leader, she had sunk her fangs into his hand as well. Profanity escaped him as he moved away, clutching his now bleeding hand as well, inquiring if she was biting because she was poisonous. When assured that the female wasn't, Yusuke Urameshi turned towards the cowering woman and glared.

"The hell is wrong with you?" he exclaimed, watching her cringe and cling to the fire demon's leg more, irritating him, "Do you want to stay here?"

Tears lashed at her eyes. Fear was etched into her heart as the red head came over, trying to calm both the Detective and the female down. As he calmed Yusuke, the female dug her face into the fire demon's leg and whimpered. She was afraid, Hiei noticed, of the humans. His crimson eyes widened at this realization and suddenly had the urge to laugh. It had been a few years since an urge like this gripped him, but he could not contain it. He threw his head back, letting his darkened laugh echo in the corridor. His companions stared at him like he had finally snapped and gone insane. The last time the infamous Hiei Jaganshi had laughed was when Yusuke had been revived the second time and learned he was Raizen's, the demon lord, heir. It was when Yusuke had said his heart wasn't really beating that he and Kurama, the red headed companion who had turned into his demon self at the time, threw their heads back and outright laughed. He knew the secret of this female and glanced down at her once his laugh died down. Deciding that she wasn't going to move without being forced, he grabbed Kurama's sleeve and tugged. The demon figured out that he desired the jacket he wore. Handing it off to Hiei so that he was standing in his jeans and a dark maroon tee, he watched as the fire demon handed the jacket to the female and picked her almost nude body up off of the ground.

The female struggled. He knew she would but he was stronger than her. With an amused smirk, he walked past his companions and outside, letting her squirm and show off her naked body all she wanted. At one point she even threw the jacket upon the ground which its owner gladly fetched before they found themselves back in the tiny ruler's office. The female still struggled, but was stopped as a shout echoed in the new room and she cringed. Turning, she saw the toddler Prince and her silver eyes widened greatly as she halted her tussle.

_No, _came her whispered thoughts, _It cannot be!_


	3. Chapter Three

**Three**

Master had mentioned the cruelty of the spirit realm years ago. He told her how the rulers were cruel and loved to kill. He further explained to her how she was lucky he'd take a female demon in before they found her. Spirit World hated demons, he had said, but they also hated female demons. The mere thought of dying kept her in that manor when she could have fled and never have been found. But her fears kept her at her Master's side and she refused to have it any other way. Now, staring at the smaller ruler of the Spirit World, she opened her mouth in a silent scream and struggled twice as much. The fire demon became annoyed, but held fast, knowing she would bolt. He glared at Koenma, willing him to get a move on with the summary of the case. Yusuke moved forth to place the artifact on the desk. Koenma nodded and had an ogre remove it from his site, undoubtedly to the vault, as he eyed the female in Hiei's arms.

"Who is she?" asked the small ruler.

Yusuke scoffed and flexed his injured hand.

"That demon," he began, "was keeping a whore house."

She stopped fidgeting and cringed at the words. A silent whimper passed in her thoughts as she frowned.

"And she," continued the spirit detective, "was among the human women kept there. She refused to leave. Kuwabara and I tried to get her to come out of the cell but she fucking bit us!"

The anger in the detective's voice was apparent as Hiei smirked.

"She…bit you?" Koenma inquired.

"That she did, Koenma," answered Kurama, his emerald green eyes straying to the female in Hiei's arms, "She seems to rather dislike them for some reason. She only allows Hiei close to her and although she has struggled, I doubt Yusuke, myself or Kuwabara would have been able to hold her."

The female hid her face. Silently she prayed that her death would be quick and painless. She heard the ruler clear his throat and flinched. Peeking at him, she paled as he stared at her.

"A demon in the Human World." He began, "Do you realize that it is highly frowned upon and a crime to slip in?"

She shook her head.

"Ignorance won't excuse this, young lady." Koenma continued, "Now, what was your business with this demon?"

She was silent, but decided to struggle against Hiei's grasp again. She was surprised as he dropped her. Her frail body collided with the tiled ground harshly and she felt the pain from the impact as the tall oaf, Kuwabara, ranted like a banshee about how Hiei dropped her. She cringed as she sat up and glanced at the small ruler, only to see his red face. She cringed, closing her eyes and covering her head with her arms, cowarding, until he began to splutter incoherent nonsense.

"N-naked? What is…this?"

"I told you, Koenma, the guy was holding them for sex!" Yusuke groaned, irritated.

The small ruler's face darkened to a crimson that rivaled Hiei's own eyes.

"Ahem." Koenma continued, looking at the female, "I see. I am interested in knowing what you had witnessed."

The room was silent and she pressed her back against Hiei's legs as he grunted and looked down at her cowering form. Her bare legs were bent and helped push her against him as she covered her chest with her thin arms. She glared at the ruler, fear etched deep within her as she shivered. Kurama attempted to hand over his jacket once more but was refused as she curled her lips up over her teeth in a silent snarl. She glared at them and scrambled to her feet, attempting to hide some form of her womanhood from their gazes before darting behind Hiei. The fire demon moved pushing her in front of him as her cheeks blazed. Did they not understand?

"Miss, you need to explain everything you witnessed." Koenma stated, firmly.

She didn't know what to do. A random, but clever, thought sprang into her mind. She was once as fast as the wind and hoped that despite her pathetic form, she could pull it off. Without much warning, she tossed the jacket back to Kurama and bolted, throwing herself through the doors of the office and running through the area, naked and fearing for her life. Her feet padded against the floor as she ran, finding herself alone. Instead of slowing down, though, she pushed herself to run some more, looking for a hiding spot. She darted and weaved in and out of the rooms, finding a staircase in her journey. She climbed them quickly and ducked into the first door she found. The room was plain with bookshelves lining the left wall and a large bed against the right wall. Thinking quickly, she ducked beneath the bed and curled into a ball, shivering as she closed her eyes and brought her hands to the sides of her head, covering her ears and containing an oncoming whimper.

When the demoness had bolted from the room, Koenma had groaned. Of course the female wouldn't speak until she felt at ease with them, but he hoped that the fear of Spirit World punishment would rouse a response. Unfortunately, his plan had backfired and now she was running around, naked and alone. He ran his hand down his face before muttering about naked women and stupid missions before clearing his throat.

"Hiei. Could you retrieve her for me? She hasn't gone too far, I'm sure." Koenma began, "I want you guys to try and befriend her. Until we know what happened down there, we cannot act much on punishments for the demons involved."

With a curt nod he sped off. Minutes passed before he returned with the young demoness struggling and thrashing in his arms once more. He dropped her on a chair they had brought in and held her there with his hands on her shoulders. She looked around the room, forgetting that she was before them nude, and her silver eyes were wide in fear and she even began to shake from what Koenma assumed was fear. Silver eyes cut to look at him as he cleared his throat, repeating his question again. When she didn't respond, he groaned in irritation.

"Look, what is it going to take for you to tell us?"

She just stared at him.

"Oh C'mon!" Yusuke cried, causing her to flinch, "Just tell the guy, would you? I want to go home and relax with video games."

The female tilted her head in confusion at him, the words foreign to her, before releasing a silent sigh. She tilts her head back, realizing that she wasn't going to be able to get away from them. She gulped, glad that a demon held her instead of a human. She wasn't ready to trust them yet, but she could make due as is. She kept silent as the group began to argue, but the toddler ruler, whom made her shiver in fear every time he looked at her like he was thinking about her, was adamant about her staying with one of the boys. She shivered at the thought as the tall orange haired oaf spoke.

"I'd give her our spare room, but she bit me. Last thing I need is her trying to kill me in my sleep." He said.

"Keiko would kill me if I came home with a naked chick!" Yusuke exclaimed, thinking of his fiancé of a year.

"My human mother would wonder as well and Hiei has no place to stay as it is, Koenma, Sir."

The ruler groaned as the female examined the four boys. The one she was held by was a demon, she knew, the orange haired one was human, and the other two, seemed human and had no demon feeling about them so she assumed humans. She whimpered as the ruler slammed his hand down on the desk in front of him. She cringed and pressed herself back against the chair as he addressed the second male she had bit.

"You and Keiko have a spare room, Yusuke, so this is what I'm going to do. She is to stay with you guys and we will examine all of the demons and apparitions involved with the ring before calling her in again. Since she isn't biting your hand off, Hiei, you'll be staying with her. You're the fastest and can make sure she is kept under watch."

The fire demon growled and she shivered.

"And why am I doing this?" he hissed, "And if Mukuro summons me?"

"I'll send her a message that you are on a mission for me. I'm sure she won't mind, Hiei." Came the toddler's response.

"Hn."

He said no more as Koenma dismissed them. They four left the room, Hiei holding the struggling female as he glared at no one in particular. Yusuke sighed irritably as they were dropped in an alley by his house. Kurama bid them farewell, and Hiei good luck, as he left for home. Kuwabara, the oaf, muttered something about short demons and danger before waving goodbye and heading out. This left Yusuke, Hiei and the demoness who was looking around as though she had never seen an alley. Her fingers subconsciously grasped Hiei's front as she cringed from a car horn and Yusuke ran his hand down his face. Keiko was going to kill him.

He did not move, though, wanting to have the female covered by something before they moved. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it to Hiei who caught it and draped it on the female's front. It wasn't great but it would suffice to get her inside. He jerked his head in the direction of the front of his apartment complex and they stepped out from the shadows, quickly making their way towards his door. He unlocked it and stepped in, calling for his fiancé. When the brunette wandered into the living room with her long chestnut brown hair put back in a ponytail, her chocolate brown eyes widened and she demanded an answer.

"Yusuke Urameshi, why is there a naked woman struggling in Hiei's arms and why are you shirtless?"

He looked back at his demon friend and groaned. She had threw the shirt on the ground and was struggling again at the sight of Keiko. He rubbed his temples and turned towards his fiancé.

"I'm sorry Keiko, but Hiei and this chick are going to be taking the guest room."

"What?" came her surprised tone, "Why?"

"Koenma wants us to keep an eye on her. We just rescued her from that mission he sent us on. She was the only demon in the group we rescued. Koenma wants to ask her some questions about what happened but she won't answer right now. We kind of...well…found her this way." He explained, quickly, "I'll explain the rest, but for now, do you think you have anything she could wear?"

Keiko nodded and disappeared for a few moments before returning with a small summer dress. It was a pale yellow and she went to hold it out to the female, but Yusuke stopped her and grabbed the garment, throwing it to Hiei.

"The room is down the hall." He told his companion, leading his fiancé into the kitchen, "She can't be running around here naked, please."

The strain in his voice was obvious. The fire demon grunted and took the struggling girl with him to the guest room as the detective ducked into the kitchen to explain their current findings with the mission and undoubtedly clarify the reasons he did not let her hand the dress over herself. He stepped into the bedroom and the female froze, eyes locking onto the bed. He grunted, disgusted with the way she tensed as he walked forward and glared at the wall as he dropped her upon the soft mattress. The glance she made towards him was a mixture of fear and knowledge. He scoffed.

"I'm not going to do _that._" He hissed at her, tossing her the dress, "Now put this on will you? I'm tired of carrying you."

She shook her head. So, she was going to be difficult, huh?

"Put the damn thing on. Are you afraid that it's going to eat you?"

She glared. He smirked. She got on her knees, ignoring her nakedness as she threw the dress at him and glared, lips curling up over her teeth in a snarl. He glared right back and went to toss the dress back at her when something caught his attention. She was snarling at him, but there was no sound? He eyed the female and stepped closer, placing the dress down. He quirked a crimson eye at her and watched her snarl and tense.

"Baka." He said.

She moved, mouth opening to scream at him.

But no sound left her mouth.

His eyes widened as she threw her hands up, obviously realizing she wasn't being heard. She collapsed backwards on the bed, making him turn his gaze as she laid there; legs spread slightly apart, arms out like a 'T' as she released a silent, aggravated sigh. It was then that he saw it. An 'X' shaped scar upon her smooth neck. Everything seemed to click in that moment.

The demoness couldn't speak.

He gave a laugh, causing her to jump and eye him warily. This was all so amusing! They had stayed there for a while, trying to get her to speak, only to not realize that the female couldn't. It wasn't because she was defying them; it was because she just could not speak! He shook his head, knowing exactly how to receive an answer from the demoness, but decided to wait to see if his assumptions were correct. He waited for her to say something as he stared at her and quirked an eyebrow as she shifted under his stare.

"Clothes. On. Now." He reiterated.

The female hesitated, staring at the dress like it was plagued with a poison. He waited until she was sitting in the dress uncomfortably before finding himself a chair to sit in. He leaned back, letting the chair tilt so that he could put his feet up on the edge of the bed before looking at her once more. He was about to speak when he jerked in surprise. The female was pulling his boots off and carefully placed them on the floor before looking up at him. He stared at her, eyes wide. No one touched Hiei the Imiko, especially females, but this demoness just removed his shoes as though she were his slave. His thoughts began to click. He knew why she was there now, but the other questions were ones he wanted to verify himself. He sighed and looked at her pointedly before speaking.

"Baka Onna." He muttered, darkly, "You can't speak, can you?"

She looked up at him surprised but eventually shook her head.

"Hn." He grunted, "That would have been useful earlier. We wouldn't be in this predicament had you tried to communicate that."

She did not like his words and glared. He grunted again. Her annoyance did not matter to him now. She had refused to speak and forced him on this babysitting detail that Koenma wanted for her because she hid behind him in that cell. He grunted in irritation before glaring at her.

"Is this habit for you?" he grunted, "Removing shoes?"

She seemed taken aback by his question and nodded. She had a look on her face that made him wonder if she thought the question was weird. He debated opening a telepathic link to view her thoughts but did not know her well enough. He did not want to open a Pandora's Box and start something he could not contain, should it get out of hand. He decided to get the formalities out of the way and grunted his next question.

"You're a slave?" he asked.

Nod.

"Do you know the name of the demon that locked you up?"

Shake.

"Was he your master?"

Nod.

"Hn."

He was not getting anywhere with this kind of communication, but decided to wait until she was asleep, if she fell asleep, to slip into her mind at all. She played with the hem of the dress, scrunching her nose at it like it reeked. It stirred another question.

"Do you hate humans?"

She stiffened. It was enough to tell him his answer but wanted to know if she knew the extent of her negative feelings towards the weak beings which littered the world they were in. If she hated them she would have to get over it. Living with the detective for a bit was going to difficult if she kept trying to bite at him and his onna. Hiei smirked at the thought. On second thought, it could prove to be quite entertaining to watch her bite at the detective every time he reached out. He glanced at the demoness and received his answer.

She nodded.

Yup, this was going to be a difficult stay. A very difficult stay. One he was going to have to suffer through for this mute demoness because of the circumstances in which they had found her. A demoness held captive to be used as an erotic toy for the humans living with a human, a half-human and himself? This was going to be a difficult few days.

"Hn."


	4. Chapter Four

**Four**

The morning sunlight filtered into the room through the blinds, falling upon the two figures which were asleep in the room. The first to rise was the male, groaning as he opened his crimson eyes. A weight was upon his left arm and he turned, feeling warmth besides him. A sidelong glance told him where the warmth was originating from. The demoness was curled up on her side, her cheek upon his upper arm. With a sigh, he moved, quickly removing his self from the female as she yawned and squirmed, rolling over before huddling in the blankets again. His shook his head as he stood and made his way to the adjacent bathroom. The female was asleep and although she hated humans, he doubted she would go anywhere in the Human World without a demon with her. She was twisted and he knew just who did the twisting. Before he had joined her in the world of slumber, he slipped in to see what her dreams were about. They were littered with human males, laughing and taunting, grabbing at her and calling her obscene names. Each time a hand grabbed her, she would close her silver eyes and think about her Master, begging for him to save her. Tch. She was a fool to believe the one who forced her into that position would come and save her. She was left there to be used.

And it was the only life she knew.

So, of course she would want her Master's assistance. She could have grown up dependent on him for all Hiei knew. He grunted as the water cascaded down his body. When he came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair flopped down around his face, he found her sitting up in the bed, leaning against the headboard. He figured that as a slave, a demon's slave no less, that she would need to have orders before she was able to function. He grunted and jerked his head to the bathroom. Her eyes locked on the door and she watched him as he grabbed the clothes that Keiko had brought them late last night. He threw them on and rubbed his hair with a towel, drying it as best as he could, stealing a glance at the mirror. A white muscle shirt clung to him, accentuating his rippling abs and complimenting the starburst that always accented his spiked hair. Black training pants adorned his legs and he stepped forward until he was at the door before realizing the foolish onna had yet to move. He grunted and turned, glaring at her. Was she really that twisted that she couldn't function without a verbal order?

"Go and shower. Then change into these clothes and you'll come with me to receive food."

That perked her interest. Has she not eaten either? He watched her jump from the bed and rush into the bathroom, the sound of locks clicking as she made sure he could not come in before the shower turned on. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited before glancing over at the clothes that Keiko had left for the female. He picked up the pale green sun dress and suddenly was reminded of his twin sister. He wondered how she was fairing and would go see her after this onna fell asleep tonight. He sighed and tossed the dress on top of the bed, waiting for her to finish. The sound of a soap bar dropping caught his ears and soon after the water stopped. The door unlocked and the female stepped out of the bathroom and looked up at him.

Kami, he need to stop letting her walk around naked. His eyes trailed down her thin body, shaking his head sadly. In full day light, he could see the various scars lining her chest, neck and thighs. What caught his attention, though, was the bruising on her wrists and ankles. They seemed fresh. He grabbed the dress and held it out to her. She tossed it on over her damp form and bowed her head. Whoever that demon was, made sure that she was well trained like a slave. He grunted, suddenly enraged. This was how his sister had been treated. She was a slave to Tarukane and forced to produce her precious hiruseki stones. Only for this demoness, the damage was far greater than his sister's. His fists clenched shut and opened before her jerked his head to the side and walked out the bedroom door towards the smell of breakfast. He stopped as two small hands gripped the back of his shirt and he growled, irritated. How could a demon be this weak? And scared of these silly humans? He muttered darkly in his own mind as he continued and walked into the kitchen, seeing Keiko setting four places at the table before looking at the female demoness with sad, knowing eyes. It seemed that Yusuke had informed his fiancé about the conditions in which they had found the female and she felt that thing they described as pity for the girl. He felt her fists tighten around his shirt and glared over his shoulder at the girl who was staring at Keiko with a look that held a mixture of fear and curiosity. Sitting down, he pointed to the chair next to him and looked over at the demoness who still held Keiko's stare.

"Hn. Sit." He ordered, stabbing his fork into his eggs, "Do not glare."

She nodded and knelt at his feet. Shaking his head with a growl, as well as odd looks from the two humans, he pointed at the chair again.

"There. Sit. Eat." He commanded again.

Immediately, she nodded and bowed her head, hopping up and fixing herself. She sat upon the chair and stared down at her fingers twining with the cloth of the dress. She gave a small nod again, before repeating the motions in which he used to control the infernal device she held to help her consume her morning meal. The human female watched her struggle and wanted to help, but was warned to keep away. Her fiancé wandered in, a hand running through his tousled, black hair. A yawn escaped his lips as he plopped down and served himself a heap of the buffet in which his significant other made, devouring it without a second thought. Keiko sighed and shook her head a bit irritated at him. Even after being back a year, he still eats like he did when he was fourteen, when all of this inhuman-ness started. She smiled as she thought about how far her lover came. How many times he had to die to get there and she sighed, watching him with a smile, love apparent in her brown eyes. The demoness felt weird, watching them, as though the female human should be doing something to service her male counterpart, but shrugged it off. Humans were not satisfied creatures, she had learned, and she refused to get involved. The demon to her left, however was perfectly satisfied with his consumption of the edible meal in front of him. She finally figured out how to use the three pronged utensil and popped a light, fluffy yellow piece into her mouth. If she could have, she would have moaned in the utter delight of flavor that had burst in her mouth and danced along her tongue. Her eyes flew open and she dropped the utensil for a moment, staring at the plate in front of her.

Eyes turned to stare at her oblivious form as she slowly chewed. The fork lay discarded to the side and she shivered. Yusuke glanced at Keiko who looked at the female worried. She looked at him and leaned in, questioning if she had an allergy to eggs. He shrugged, unsure. They watched her some more, silent and frozen in place. Suddenly, the female threw her hands in the hair, a big grin upon her face before she began stuffing the food into her mouth as though she had not eaten in years. Keiko's brown eyes widened and glanced from Yusuke to the girl. If she didn't know any better, she would have to assume that the two were somehow related. The female took handfuls of the breakfast she had made and stuffed it into her mouth, bouncing in her seat. Eggs, bacon, pancakes and toast were mushed together and the quiet female devoured everything on her plate before sitting back and licking her hands as though she were a cat. Hiei stared at her, brown quirked in curiosity before staring down at his plate that was barely half way done. The onna must have been starved for her to eat like this and she reminded him of the baka and the detective at their occasional get together. His nose scrunched in slight thought as she finished licking her fingers and looked around at the three of them staring at her. She became apprehensive and her eyes darted around warily. Tentatively, she grabbed the plate and bowed her head before presenting it to Hiei. Yusuke and Keiko stared and the fire demon just glared. The hell did she want now? Watching her, he noticed the beneath her lashes, her eyes were darting towards the buffet. He grunted and took the plate, serving her the same amount and placing it before her. Again, she stuffed the food in her mouth and he grunted.

What kind of slave did not know manners?

"And you thought I was bad." He heard Yusuke mutter to his fiancé before tossing a grin at the brown haired female.

The trio finished their breakfast, the demoness obtaining a more pleasant demeanor when Yusuke thanked Keiko for cooking the delicious meal. She refused to stand near Yusuke, but offered the human female a small smile from behind the fire demon. The two humans spoke and then Yusuke reached out, handing some money to his fiancé. The female's demeanor immediately diminished as a silent snarl showed upon her grimacing face. Her lips curled over her teeth, baring them at the dark haired spirit detective and the monstrosity which he held in his hands. Keiko took the money happily and embraced him, plopping a lovely kiss upon his cheek before darting to grab a coat. He turned towards the fire demon and sighed.

"Hn. She won't bite." The fire demon began, glancing over his shoulder pointedly to the female who snarled at Yusuke, silently, "Where are you going?"

"Koenma wants me and Kurama to deal with the captured demons." The Detective responded, "I'm trusting you to keep Keiko safe."

"Hn." Hiei replied.

Yusuke laughed. Like Hiei's honor would let him ignore Keiko's well-being while she was out with him. He waved goodbye and left just as Keiko emerged, smiling and ready to go out. Hiei grunted and jerked his chin towards the door for the female to move and she complied, eyeing the female that accompanied him. He led the demoness out of the house and onto the street before stopping to wait for the human woman. Together they moved, towards the building Keiko directed them towards and the female clung to his shirt like she had before. This irritated the fire demon, but given the circumstances, it helped him to keep track of the onna. She was afraid of the humans that littered the streets and she clung to his clothing as proof. Maybe her hatred was that of the human kind; stemmed from absolute fear. They entered the store and Keiko jumped into her task with gusto. She ran about, collecting various clothing articles and placing them in the cart. Hiei watched, baffled as to how his sister could enjoy such a frivolous, human activity. When she finished collecting, she led them to the dressing rooms and turned towards the frightened demoness, smiling kindly.

"Pick an outfit and try it on. Whatever you want to wear, I'll buy for you."

The girl shook her head. Not wanting to be stuck in this crowded place, he reached back and dislodged her from his back, tugging her and pushing her towards the cart.

"Hn. Do as she says." He grunted, leaning against the wall.

The demoness squirmed but nodded, keeping her gaze on the colorful clothing that caught her eyes. She pulled some items and darted into the room she was given, Keiko smiling broadly at the closed door. Maybe she would warm up to everyone soon enough to tell them what happened.

_And maybe she'll sing you a song. _Hiei thought, smirking. It was obvious that only he knew she could not speak. _Don't have a need to tell anyone. I'll let them find out on their own. I did. _

The demoness came out in various outfits, blushing as Keiko pitched compliments at her. It was evident that the clothing was out of her comfort levels, but they suited her well. Her small frame, finally covered by clothing, fit perfectly in almost everything Keiko picked out once she found everything in an extra small, of course. However, when she emerged wearing baggy jeans and a white wife beater she seemed really content. Keiko pounced on this and returned with some more baggy looking clothes. Each one made the small demoness smile and Hiei watched as she let Keiko come closer to even fix the outfits at times. He wondered if it was because she liked being fully clothed or if it was because she was instructed to do so. Either way, it removed both females from his constant vigilance and he was content with that.

Soon, he found that the demoness also enjoyed sundresses. This peaked an interest. With everything she must have endured, she enjoyed a sundress? He grunted and ignored it, finding her to be strange. When the two women finished, Keiko had a collection of baggy clothes and sundresses. She motioned for the female to follow her, back in the original dress she was given this morning to wear, and they trekked into the undergarment section. He grunted and glared at some of the looks he got, but ignored the stares when Keiko came across a dilemma. They had no way of telling what the demoness' measurements were. He refused to get involved with this and sat on a bench near the dressing area, closing his crimson eyes as he listened intently to Keiko's movements. She had fixed the problem with another trip to the dressing rooms and grinned when the female nodded. She tossed in some simple underwear and bras, colors and designs picked from the demoness herself before she helped her pick out some pajamas. The fire demon was growing irate as time passed. He did not want to deal with these irritable humans and located the females, growling his frustrations to Keiko. She promised him it wouldn't be much longer and he glared at the cart full of clothing. Why the human felt such a need to get clothing for the demoness was beyond his comprehension, but he refused to speak up, deciding it wasn't his concern. As promised, they were soon standing in the check-out line.

As soon as they had returned to the apartment, after hauling the bags back, Keiko encouraged the female to dress however she wanted. The onna nodded and dragged the bags into the room as Hiei found his way to the windowsill and sat upon it, ignoring the human female once more. He closed his crimson eyes and listened to the shuffling of clothes and bags in the room he shared with the female. She came out and was smiling. He watched as she looked around and then decided to stare out the window, looking out at the greenery. This window was facing the back, out into the forests and it was a calming site to behold. He rested there, eyes closed and almost on the verge of sleep when the irritating female touched him. His dark red eyes shot open and he turned his head to watch her as she attempted to climb up on the sill, trying to look out the window. He growled and pushed her off, letting her fall to the floor in a heap. She cringed and refused to look up at him after her landing. Instead, she stood and bowed before hastily making an exit to the bedroom once more. She was a stupid onna.

The next few days passed without much difficulty. The onna kept her distance but seemed to take a liking to Keiko, silently snarling at Yusuke at times. She still clung to him, but refused to do so openly anymore. She even kept her distance at night when they slept. He enjoyed the easy days, but was irked when Kurama appeared in a few days and told him that Koenma was ready to speak with the demoness. He had to pick her up and forcibly carry her to the Spirit Realm, growling as she beat upon his back with her tiny fists, probably screaming and swearing at him in her mind. They arrived before Koenma and he dropped her into a chair again before moving out of her line of sight. She was visibly shaking again and had a look about her as though she wanted to pout and cry all at once. The ruler of Spirit World cleared his throat and smiled at the young woman, greeting her and thanking her for appearing completely clothed. She donned a black sweatshirt over a dark grey tank top that clung to her torso. Her legs were breathing just fine in her baggy dark jeans, and she even sported a few arm bands and a collar to hide the scar upon her neck. Koenma appraised her clothing and smiled.

"Now, dear, will you please explain what happened at that manor?"

The female cringed slightly.

Then, a loud cackle came from the screen behind him.

The six in the office turned towards the screen and the woman could not breathe. There was his face. He grinned at the room and Koenma practically shouted for him to identify himself. The demon merely laughed. That piercing gaze locked onto the demoness and she cringed, thoughts whirling in her mind. The face contorted in a grimace at the clothes she wore and he glared suddenly. The wind was knocked from her causing a shiver to crawl through her body and her blood to turn icy cold in her veins. Bright magenta eyes burned into her and she felt her arms cross over her breasts, gripping at her upper arms as she tried to hold herself together.

"You are all fools." Came that haunting voice as she shivered, pressing a cheek against her wrists as she held herself tighter, "That whore belongs to me."

A silent scream left her as she writhed in pain. Hands flew to her throat and she fell from the chair as the boys became distraught. Questions were thrown about as she writhed on the floor, gripping her neck as she tried to breathe, tears streaking down her cheeks. The woman writhed in pain, the blindly and searing pain forcing her mouth open in silent screams as she trashed about. The cackling laughter faded from the screen as a loud noise, like a shooting gun, resonated in the office and static was left on the screen. The female thrashed and writhed more until the pain subsided. Tears streaked down her cheeks and she curled into a ball before grabbing at the sides of her head, trying to contain her sorrow. She felt eyes on her when a voice suddenly cut through the silence of her suffering.

"What the hell was _that_?" came the orange haired human's voice.

"I would like to know as well, Kuwabara," the small ruler said, eyes glancing down to the female curled upon the floor, crying.

"Koenma, it is evident that the female cannot answer your questions."

The brown eyed toddler looked up at the red haired teen, asking with his eyes as to what he meant.

"The woman," Kurama continued, "was screaming out in agony but there was no sound…I believe she is mute."

"Hn." came Hiei's grunt as a smirk crossed his lips, "Took you bakas long enough."

"You knew of this?" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Hn. Shut your mouth. I learned of it days ago."

The black eyed idiot muttered darkly as he glared at Hiei.

"And by the way he described her," he grunted, crimson eyes leaving to oaf to look at the shivering female, "I'd say that was her captor."

The room went silent. The female sniffled and struggled to stand, silently snarling at the four who attempted to help her. They were still humans. They caused this pain. They were the reason her Master was upset at her. She shivered at this and forced herself upon her knees. Tiredly, she grasped the chair and hoisted herself onto it, collapsing against it and closing her silver eyes, trying not to swallow. The pain was now a dull throbbing, like that of a sore throat, but she refused to let it affect her any further. Ogres ran in and out, guides were sent to locate the area where the broadcast had come from and Botan was off with Ayame to find more on this demon that had caused this young demoness so much pain even after released from his hold. Koenma turned towards the girl, watching her chest rise and fall rapidly as she concentrated on the throbbing in her throat before sighing. Clearing his throat, he got everyone's attention and frowned.

"We've never seen such a thing before." He started.

"I have!" Kuwabara interrupted, grabbing everyone's attention quicker than lightening, "In Harry Potter! It's called an unforgivable curse! It's called Crucio, I think."

Yusuke fell over laughing hysterically.

"Only you would make a connection to some stupid magic movie from Britain!" he roared, laughing more.

"Yusuke," Koenma said, "This is no laughing matter. This demon is dangerous if he can do something like that through a radio or video frequency. Yusuke and Hiei: take her back and watch her. Guard her if necessary. Until we learn more about this demon, I want her to be under strict vigilance."

He paused.

"Before that, though," he said, shuffling through some papers, "Miss? Can you please tell me what happened down there?"

He hopped down from his desk as the female opened her eyes and warily watched him through the strain of swallowing her fear. He tentatively held out paper and a pencil and she took them before looking at him like he was crazy. Hiei snickered in the corner, watching the scene occurring as the female stared at the paper. Her thoughts were written on her face and Koenma waited, expectantly before Hiei grunted and moved forward, snatching the paper from her hands. He held the stupid pencil and glanced at her. She shivered as she looked up into his eyes and jumped, falling from her seat when his voice rang in her head.

_You cannot write. I will do it for you. Hurry up. _

She shivered and nodded before relaying her message to him. He held out the paper to the Spirit World ruler and watched his face pale as he read through the paragraph. He leaned against the wall and 'hn'd again, waiting for Koenma's reaction. Time went by slowly and the ruler squeaked before rushing to his desk, hitting a button and shouting for Botan. He paced on top of his desk, muttering incoherently and quite aggravatingly, Hiei noticed. He frowned and glared at the ruler, tapping his foot as Botan bolted into the room. She and Koenma muttered words before she gulped and laughed nervously, taking the paper and reading over it. Her bubble gum pink eyes nearly popped out of her head and she shoved it back to Koenma, nodding and darting from the room again. The four boys stood confused and aggravated. No one was including them in anything and Hiei just wanted sleep.

"You are all dismissed." Koenma began, waving his hand.

"Wait a second! How come Shorty is the only one who gets to know what happened?"

Koenma cringed at Kuwabara's voice.

"Yes, sorry. Let me read through this for the rest of you."

The woman closed her eyes as the small retelling occurred. She waited and frowned as Koenma stopped at the most important part and looked at him, silver orbs opening to watch him with a quirked brow like she had seen Hiei do countless times in the past few days. She watched him nervously scratch the back of his head before looking at the four boys. They were impatiently waiting for the end of the paragraph when Koenma glanced at her, apologetically, as he read through Hiei's quick scrawling. The fire demon grunted, not very pleased with her underestimation of their abilities, but waited for Koenma to speak, regardless. he found himself glaring at the female as Koenma spoke, wondering what kind of mind this woman had, suspecting she might have more information than she gave. Then, Koenma's voice echoed in the quiet room.

"_**He is my Master. I grew up as his servant and know of nothing else. I cannot read, or write. My ability to speak was taken by him and I can never get it back.**__** I know no name.**__** Master is Master and**__** I am bound to him.**_

_** And Master will kill us all."**_


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's Note; **_I wanted to give a special shout out to my reviewers~! **NoWarningSignsNoAlibi**, **anon**, **Totidem Verbis**, **kungfupandabear**, **Crazyfool65**, and **SilverLine****dApathy**. I really enjoy your comments and love reading them. I hope that this chapter does not disappoint you guys. I am also thankful to all of your who have added my story to your alert lists, because that is a lot more people than the reviews show. Thank you all for supporting me in this idea. Anyway, I might be able to start uploading more chapters more frequently now. My classes end on Friday and I hope to have the next few weeks to write to my heart's content. Now, on with the story~! _

* * *

**Five**

The next week passed with everyone on high alert. Hiei noticed that the female just stopped coming out of the bedroom and frequently checked to see that she hadn't tried to run away. Instead, she just lies in bed. Her shorts covered her behind just enough and were a bright red while her tank top was a pale yellow. The blankets were half on her and half beneath her and her face buried in the pillows. Master had tortured her and was mad at her. She must have been a bad girl to receive such pain. It took her everything she had to not cry as she tried to think about what must have made him angry. She shot up in bed, sitting on her knees when she realized that he had been looking at her clothes. Master never let her wear any clothes, just her transparent cloth, so naturally he did not wish for her to wear it while she was away either. She shivered but yanked her clothes from her body before curling up on the bed once more. Maybe, if she stayed this way, Master would not be upset anymore and maybe he'd go easy on her.  
Like hell he would.

Her mind fought with the logical explanation of his abilities and knew that no matter what, she was bound to him. To his word. If he felt something from her that he did not want her to feel, he'd repeat that pain. Her body shivered at the thought. That pain, so excruciating, was something she dreaded feeling the most. It would start from her throat and quickly infect the rest of her body. It was as though he were ripping out her voice box all over again. Tears lashed at her eyes as she heard laughter from the main room and shut her eyes tightly. She willed herself to lie there, despite the joyous laughter and chit chat that came from the front.

She did not want to move. Hell, she barely wanted to breathe. Her throat was better with a slight throb and she sighed as sleep refused to consume her. Her thoughts drifted to the human couple she was staying with and wondered why the female was able to act on her own accord. Was she not bound to the human male? Didn't she obey his commands? Thoughts flitted about as the door opened again as the fire demon checked on her before it swung open. The fire demon walked in, eyeing the clothes that were discarded as the scent of saline wafted to his nose. Teary eyed and naked, the female laid there, curled into a ball. He heard her shuddering breath and just stood there, staring. What in the damn hell was this woman doing lying down and crying while naked? He glared at her before turning and leaving the room. If she wanted to be weak, he'd let her be weak. She wasn't his problem until something came for her. Until then, she was her own problem.

He returned to the living room where everyone was assembled. Kurama eyed him and he made a slight, jerky nod, letting him know that the female was still in there. He returned to his spot on the window sill and ignored the boisterous laughter that came from the Detective and the oaf. Kurama resumed his conversation with the oaf's sister, Shizuru and the baka was getting close with his innocent sister again. Yukina laughed softly at Kuwabara's nonsense while Hiei grunted his displeasure. Keiko and Botan were talking while Yusuke and Kuwabaka had their petty arguments. Genkai sat on the recliner, watching the group, occasionally adding some comment about Yusuke whom she fondly referred to him as 'Dimwit' as he responded back, usually calling her 'Old Hag' or 'Grandma'. Both, of course, were names he said with his own fondness of his teacher. The whole group, plus the extras that had come from the Makai when the barrier separating the human and demon worlds was taken down, were here enjoying the company they helped one another keep. Rinku, Chu, Jin and Touya were present and enjoying themselves.

Keiko would get up and bring out more snacks for the group, smiling and being the perfect hostess any of them could ask for. Hiei glanced over and smirked. They were idiots, but they were in a sense his idiots. Without them, he might have never found a meaningful existence. When he had gone back to the Makai at Mukuro's summon, he had been willing to accept death at the hands of anyone stronger than him. He had done all he had set out into doing and believed his purpose for living had been fulfilled. Now, as Kurama had finally convinced him that humans lived to simply enjoy life, he found himself visiting Genkai's temple often to visit his darling twin sister, whom he believed still did not know he was the brother she had been searching for all along. However, he found it peculiar that once he had returned to this realm, that she stopped asking about her brother. He assumed that she finally took his words to heart and believed he was dead. He shifted, getting comfortable again as he thought about it. Without that idiot detective teaching him what grief was, he would have never jumped to an A-class level that day. He would have been killed surely, had Yusuke not returned with demon blood. At that moment he and his companions were on the verge of S-Class but never crossed it until Mukuro.

Now, his life was full of people and he seemed more at ease. Never having to be on edge was relaxing. He was able to go through the day without having much care and if he wanted to shed some blood he would just cross into demon world and take care of any nuisances that are threatening Mukuro's border control. Yes, life was very decent and he preferred it this way. The laughter jerked him from his thoughts as he turned to look at Yukina, his twin, laughing joyously at her idiot human. He rolled his eyes before checking the time. Another hour had passed with no word from the female. He grunted and stood, quietly making his way to the bedroom and poking his head in. She laid there, tears now flowing down her cheeks. He closed the door and returned to the windowsill in the living room, ignoring the fox's questioning stare. He thought about the eerie message the female had given them and scowled. Damn it. He just ruined his mood. She was bound to this Master of hers? He'd like to know how. From what he could tell she wasn't mated to him. She was just his slave. A tool for him to use however and whenever he saw fit. A disgusting demon who wanted to use females as sex slave to gain that human thing called money. Such a living held no dignity. It held nothing but greed.

The small get together was advancing as liquor was brought out and involved. Chu drank his weight in it, his powers starting to pulse a bit. The alcohol was his strength and he drank more and more, grinning away whilst his companions laughed and joked, creating frivolous games to entertain themselves as the women began to talk about various things. Suddenly, the door down the hall caught his eyes and he glanced over to see the female, rubbing her silver eyes and naked walking out. With his speed, he jumped from the sill, enraged at how stupid and dysfunctional she was, and pushed her back into the room. The female hit the floor with a thud and he closed the door behind him. If his sister saw that his charge was leaving his room naked, what would she think? He growled and glared at the female. She looked up at him, fear in her eyes. His crimson orbs slowly trailed down from her face to her body and he grunted, looking away.

"Do not walk around naked. This isn't a whore house."

She cringed at the word whore. No one was allowed to call her that but Master. The humans who would take her called her 'baby' or 'princess', but never whore. This made her back away from her guard and glare, silver orbs lining with tears. Her neck was still adorned with the collar she had bought. A black cloth thing with white lace protruding from the ends, making it seem as though it were a fashion statement. He walked towards the closet and yanked out the clothes she seemed most comfortable in and tossed them on the bed before locating where her undergarments were. He tossed them on the bed and turned to her. Crimson eyes bored into her silver ones as he noticed the lavender speckles that flecked in her eyes around the iris. He jerked his chin towards the clothes, getting fed up with the stupidity of the woman.

"Dress first, and then come out. Do not leave this room until then." He grunted.

The look she gave him caused a glare again.

"What?" he snapped.

The female cringed, bowing her head and shaking it before standing and grabbing the undergarments, slowly pulling them on as she tried to remember how Keiko told her to. He rolled his eyes. This woman was an imbecile that could barely dress herself, let alone function in the real world. If he dropped her in the middle of the town, she'd be dead within the first twenty minutes. She slipped the baggy jeans on, tossing the light blue tank on top of her grey bra clad breasts before sporting those arms bands again to hide the still fading bruises from her time captured. Was he really going to have to teach her how to live like an actual being? She turned towards him and pointed to her hair which was messy and knotted. He grunted and grabbed a brush that Keiko had given them the second night they were here and tossed it to her. She caught it, clumsily, before raking it through her hair.

She stared in the mirror before gasping and fixing her hair. Her long locks fell in waves to her waist and she brushed some of her hair in front of her left eye. She smiled and turned towards the closet before ducking in and grabbing a dark blue beanie hat and tossing it on. She smiled at her reflection, praying that Master could not see her right now, before following the grunting fire demon from the room. Her curiosity now appeased as she saw the party. Her eyes widened as she saw demons and a smile plastered her lips. Maybe this place wasn't so bad? She noticed that the humans and demons were getting along as though they were family and this peaked her interest. Weren't demons afraid of humans? Of Spirit World? She watched them interact and sat in a chair off to the side as they laughed and joked and roughhoused. Her mind could not fathom living happily with the humans after what she endured, but the logical side of her brain corrected her, reminding her how she was currently living in a human's home and she was getting "along" with Keiko; a human female. She relaxed against the cushioned chair until the short red haired demon floats over to her and eyes her.

"Aye. If I 'int know 'ny better, I'd say ya' were a boy, dontcha know?"

His accent startled her. She looked up at him with apprehension before Hiei interjected with a roll of his eyes.

"She doesn't talk."

"Aye? Is 'at so? Well, 'ats a shame, it is. I want'd 'ta know what kind of demon she was." Said the wind demon with a nod before looking at the female, holding out his hand, " 'Tha name's Jin. 'nd your's?"

The demoness smiled but it was forced as she squirmed in her seat, glancing at Hiei. She cringed as he glared and rolled his eyes before she heard a familiar voice in her head.

_Hold out your hand. _He instructed.

Hesitantly, she held her arm out, her hand close to Jin's. She jumped as he grasped it and shook with vigor. He began to prattle on in his accented language how he had come to meet the group she was rescued by and was startled to hear that the other red head and the male of the place which she lived were demons. This caught her attention, chagrin apparent upon her cheeks as they reddened, before looking over to the two. How could she have missed it? She shivered and looked down at her knees, squirming a bit as Jin continued to speak. He rattled on, describing how they met at this thing called a Dark Tournament and how later they met for the Makai Tournament that Yusuke Urameshi now hosts every three years.

It was still another two years away, he assured, but it was a big thing now. It's revolutionized all of the Makai and it has become very sportsmanship like. The female was baffled by what he was telling her, never having stepped foot in the Makai since Master had brought her to the Human Realm. She smiled, though, enjoying the chatty wind demon's accent for a while. Yusuke called his friend back, however, leaving the female to sit alone once more. She chanced a glance at the fire demon she had clung to for the past few weeks and sighed. What if her Master left her here? What if she truly was useless to him now? These thoughts whirled about in her mind as she curled up on the chair, face buried in her arms as the party continued, barely noticing the young demoness that was in turmoil besides them. At one point, she had enough of their laughter and retreated to the bedroom, shedding her clothes and curling up in bed beneath the covers.

As the female left the room, Hiei glanced at the door as it shut behind her and grunted. What was wrong with her this time? He was becoming irritated with the lack of communication, often wanting someone to teach her how to read and write so that she could communicate with them so that he didn't have to do it for her. He turned to look out the window again as the occupants of the main room continued with their fun. After a while, his sister made her way over to him while her human lover swallowed glasses of liquor with the Detective. He turned and watched her, greeting her for a moment as he looked her over. She had blossomed into a beautiful woman who thoroughly enjoyed the human world. Something he has yet to fathom a reason for her admiration of this world, but he kept his opinions to his self. He let her greet him in response before she asked about his charge. The fire demon stiffened a bit and glared out the window before sighing as his sister attempted another question.

"I've heard she is quiet." Came Yukina's soft words, "Has she given a name?"

A name? He could hit himself right now. Out of all the things he commanded and instructed her to do, giving up her name was never one of them. He contained his growl, aggravated with himself and opted to just shrug his shoulders.

"She can't speak." He informed the ice maiden, "I haven't asked, so I haven't learned it yet."

He turned to look at his sister before glancing out the window again.

"Well, when she returns, I'll ask. It can't be much fun if no one calls you by your name." she said with an innocent smile.

"Yes, well, I wouldn't count on her returning," he replied, smiling at her innocence and her smile, "I wouldn't put it pass her to be sleeping all ready."

The ice maiden nodded, her crimson eyes sparkling a bit as she thanked him and returned to Kuwabara. He watched her sit beside him, her mint green hair shifting with her laughter as she joined them in their festivities. Another hour passed before he left the room, catching Yukina's eye just to nod his goodbye before disappearing down the hall into the bedroom he shared with the aggravating onna. He changed into simple shorts before sliding into the bed. The onna was on the edge of the bed, far from him, and he laid his head down with a grunt, letting sleep take a hold of him, swiftly.

_**Darkness consumed him. It was nothing new to his dreams. He would just summon his sword and lash about, mentally training and wasting time. However, when he called upon his sword it did not show. He glared around the darkness. Something was not right. Slowly, his assumptions were correct and he watched the darkness form into a scene. He looked down at the scene before him, brows furrowed in confusion as a figure came into view. It was a young female with short silver hair, sleeping on the floor of a cage. She turned over and sighed softly before another figure came over and kicked the cage, causing it to fly back and tumble to a stop. The child inside awoke and screamed, causing the figure to cringe. He stalked over to the cage and ripped open the doors. Hiei could tell that the person was not many years the child's senior. Maybe four years, five at max. The female cried. **_

_** "Stop crying." Hissed the little boy, "I'm going to make you be quiet." **_

_** The female whimpered and gasped as her mouth was covered to halt her cries. She looked up at the male as the scene changed and they seemed to grow right before Hiei's eyes. He stared; wide eyed as the female turned into that aggravating demoness and the boy into that disgusting being she calls a 'Master'. He held her against a wall, inhaling her scent and his hands groping her still developing breasts and she whimpered, opening her mouth and whispering so softly that Hiei could not hear what she said. The male looked at her and glared before forcing himself upon her, pinning her to the wall while his mouth assaulted her neck and he thrust his hips forward, grinding his hard on against her thighs. Hiei felt himself become disgusted as the male reached down to cup her womanhood, causing her to freak out and scream. It was at that moment the bastard dug his nails into the female's neck and wrenched it back, blood flying into the air as the scream was cut short and a shrill sound made him clutch his ears and buckle to the ground. He gritted his teeth as he saw a pool of blood and her pale feet before it was too much and he threw his head back and screamed.**_

He was thrown from the dream and jerked awake. Sitting up in the bed, he controlled his breathing before looking around the room, eyes falling on the demoness he was lying beside. She was writhing in the sheets and crying, silent words upon her lips. He inhaled deeply and exhaled before tossing his legs over the side of the bed and standing. Being in close proximity, he must have subconsciously entered the female's dreams. He grabbed his pillow and stormed out of the room, into the living room where the group was passed out. He stopped and grabbed a blanket that was hanging on the back of the couch and made himself comfortable on the windowsill before letting his crimson, tired, eyes drift shut. He was greeted by his regular, blank dream, but instead of training, like his body was itching to do, he found himself pondering about the female's dream and realized that the dream may not have been a dream. Instantly, everything clicked.

That's why she couldn't speak. The fucking bastard physically tore out her voice box. The simple realization jolted Hiei awake once more and he growled. The image of blood flickered in his mind, burning into the back of his mind. In all his years killing, he's never experienced someone ripping out another's throat. He also never really watched a man force himself on a woman. He felt a growl in his throat as he imagined the kind of things that magenta eyed bastard was capable of doing to the defenseless and soon, fell back asleep. This time, however, he was greeted by his own dreams. They were multiple flashes of him destroying that vile being with the magenta eyes with his own too hands.

And boy, did it feel good.


	6. Chapter Six

**Six**

Days passed without incident. The female came out of the room to eat and stopped snarling at Yusuke. Unfortunately, she has picked up the habit of clinging onto Hiei again as the couple had their family and friends over from time to time and it was irking him tremendously. Hiei was getting fed up with this mission and even threatened Koenma that if they didn't get rid of this Master person soon that he was going to kill the female that clung onto him like a lost puppy. Despite is aggravation with her, he felt a need to watch her and he often found himself staring at the collar which she constantly wore upon her neck. She had come to accept Keiko's touches when she spoke and even Yusuke's presence; however she still snarled at the mere mention of money and hid when anyone held out a single cent. Overall, she was improving on the ability to not get on his nerves, but sometimes the onna just pissed him the fuck off.

Despite the tension, the young demoness was thoroughly enjoying her time out of her prison. Time went by and she realized that if she hadn't been Master's slave, then she'd still be able to do what she loved the most. Instead, she had to opt out and find another way to occupy herself. That is, until she learned about a nifty little thing called an IPod. Keiko had introduced it to her one day and the female loved it. She would sway with the music. As a gift, Keiko decided to buy one for her, with her lover's money of course, and the female had been ecstatic. Keiko even took the time to put the music the female enjoyed onto the device, also keeping her out of the fire demon's hair for a change. But, ever since she received the IPod, she had become calmer and much happier. It had been so long since she had heard the wonderful sounds of music and it was absolute beauty to her ears. Now, she would sit in a corner of the room and draw all while listening to the music she played on the IPod.

Although she was content, there were days she would relapse into the darkest depression she ever experienced. Her mood would be dark and she would just lie in bed and cry all day. Relentless tears would escape her and she just couldn't stand seeing a single human on those days. Every night, she was plagued by her own personal demons and would wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares. Sometimes, she would find Hiei gone and move to sleep under the windowsill he would occupy every now and again. It was strange but the fire demon became a calming stone in her times of turmoil and she would frequently seek him out, hoping to relieve herself of the pains and depression. Sure enough, just being around the callous fire demon made her feel safe despite his threats.

Today was a new day and it started off well for her. An orange muscle shirt clung to her torso while black baggy jeans covered her from the waist down. She ran a brush through her hair before entering the main part of the house and taking a seat on the single recliner she had grown accustomed to using. Black, skull candy head phones were in her ears and her head bobbed slightly to the music she had playing on the IPod she had received as a gift and she silently hummed to the songs. Her head bobbed as the morning began, Yusuke, Keiko and Hiei falling back into their routines before the Spirit Detective left for Spirit World, needing to attend a meeting with Koenma. Keiko took to cleaning and the demoness reached under the recliner to pull out the sketch pad which Keiko had given her.

She flipped through the pages until she came across a blank one and smiled, looking around for something to draw. Her obvious choice was sitting in his windowsill, staring out the window. She smiled to herself and moved to the corner she usually sat in to see him better before she began to draw him like that. Line and shapes slowly merged to become the fire demon before her and she blushed as she thought of his reaction to seeing her drawings. She knew that he would probably kill her, but she could not help but to draw her savior.

She spent her time in the corner, doodling on a paper. He rolled his eyes. You would think that, as a demon, she would find something less frivolous to occupy her time. Instead, she is slaving away at a paper and doodling like some human child. He grunted his displeasure and glanced at the door. He had visited Kurama early this morning and expressed his necessity for the foolish demoness to learn some sort of communication. The last thing he wanted was to try and read her mind again, causing him to relive her memories. The memory he saw of her throat being ripped out still haunted him at times when he slept and he had made it his obligation to make sure that bastard never breathes in another female's scent.

The mere thought of him made Hiei's blood boil and he had a desire to tear the demon to pieces. The doorbell rang and he turned to observed as Keiko answered the door, greeting the red headed fox demon as he politely entered. The fire demon grunted his greeting, eyes flickering to the female as she made no attempt to move, hypnotized by the music playing in her ears. Her hands were moving continually across the paper, never once looking up for too long. He noticed that when she looked up, she would glance at him, almost assuring herself that he had not left her. His teeth gritted in annoyance. He wasn't here to reassure some pathetically weak demoness that she was safe. She needed to learn how to be safe on her own. He moved from the windowsill, catching Kurama's eyes before glaring.

"Do something about this." Hiei hissed once Keiko disappeared into the kitchen.

The fox demon laughed.

"I see no problem, Hiei. What is wrong? She's being quiet and isn't bothering anyone." The fox replied.

"Annoying demon." Hiei corrected, "She needs to learn how to talk. I'm done fishing in her mind for what she wants."

As his friend spoke, Kurama noticed the fire demon's hands curl into fists and he seemed agitated when he spoke of entering her mind. He quirked a brow at the short demon, wondering just what could have made him refuse his own entrance into the woman's mind.

"Why are you so against reading her mind?" Kurama inquired, politely, mossy green eyes glancing at the doodling female before resting on Hiei's tense form.

"Hn." Responded the fire demon, "I'm tired of living her nightmares."

At the mere mention of nightmares, Kurama frowned.

"You have the ability to control that, Hiei. I don't see how-"

"No." his friend hissed, "I don't. When it's time to sleep, I have to leave the room."

This caused Kurama to stare at the demon in surprise.

"Why is that?"

"Hn. Her dreams aren't dreams. They're projections of her memory." He grunted.

The fox demon was about to ask why he was so disturbed and angered by such a thing, but Keiko had returned with some snacks and beverages for everyone. She mentioned that lunch would be ready soon and smiled at them before making her way over to the demoness and crouching down beside her. She grinned for a moment, eyes shining in amusement before she carefully and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. Kurama tensed, remembering the girl's reaction to humans, but was pleasantly surprised when she jerked and turned to look at Keiko, a shy smile forming upon her lips.

She removed the black headphones and listened to Keiko, nodding as she covered her drawings and stood, heading over to the recliner and settling into it. She reached out and gingerly took some of the pretzels into her hand and smiled before popping the salty snacks into her mouth. Keiko patted her head, a movement which caused Kurama to think of a mother and her child. The brunette disappeared into the kitchen and he took a seat on the sofa, watching the distressed fire demon send silent glares at the female. He watched his friend's hands open and clench shut with his anger before turning and heading for the door. The female froze as he moved, watching him, eyes wide as he moved around her. She discarded the remaining pretzels and knelt on the seat of the recliner, her silver eyes wide with what seemed to be fear as he stepped out of the door and cringed when he slammed it shut. Kurama's eyes widened when he saw her visibly shake and he stood coming over to her and frowned at her worriedly.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

The female jumped, not realizing he was there. Turning to face him, he could see that her eyes were glassy and wet with oncoming tears. She held a silent frown and glanced at the door where Hiei had disappeared to. Kurama, quick on the uptake, tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Hiei will be back." He said, squeezing her shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, "He's just going to sort something out."

This did not seem adequate enough for her, but she nodded, eyes flickering down to his hand and back up at his face. He smiled, removing his hands before reaching for the bag he had brought with him. He could feel her tense aura and smiled politely before pulling out two notebooks and pens. He opened both and slid one of them with a pen on top in front of her. He smiled once more before beginning to explain what he was doing.

"Hiei asked me to help you learn to read and write." Said the fox demon, "He wants you to be able to communicate directly with us, I think."

The female nodded in understanding and the lessons began. Before either of them knew it, hours had passed. Between both Kurama and Keiko the young demoness was learning to write out her desires easily. She was a quick learner and Kurama was happy to teach her. The young woman seemed to enjoy learning how to write and her handwriting was flawless. Keiko began to prepare dinner, making extra for their guest as Yusuke returned. He was surprised to see Kurama, but smiled and began conversation, asking about his friend's family and how he was doing today.

Kurama kept his new pupil occupied as he carried the conversation, teaching her to combine sentences and punctuate them accordingly. Yusuke, observing this, laughed and clapped his friend on the back, thanking him for the genius idea of teaching her to write. His friend shook his head, however and explained that it wasn't his idea. The conversation was cut short, though, when Keiko called them all in for dinner. The three entered the kitchen and the young female stood, looking around as she wondered where her comforting yet cold fire apparition was. She held a look of worry upon her face as Keiko invited her to sit, but the female shook her head, eyes locked on the extra chair.

"What's wrong?" Keiko asked, standing and walking over to the young woman, "Is it the food?"

"Nahh!" came Yusuke's laughter, "Your cooking ain't that bad."

"I believe she's looking for Hiei." Kurama offered, receiving a nod from the woman.

"Oh, he'll be back." Keiko said with a smile, "Why don't you come eat with the rest of us?"

The female's lips pressed in a firm line as she deliberated the offer. She sighed and sat in the chair besides Kurama, leaving Hiei's usual spot open as she tentatively tasted the food, playing with it as she listened in on the conversation halfheartedly, eyes glancing at the empty chair besides her every few minutes. A feeling began to ball in the bottom of her stomach and she could barely eat her food. She attempted to follow the conversation, easing herself to not be worried.

"So, how's things in college?" came Keiko's inquiry.

The female tilted her head. What was a college?  
"Everything is running quite smoothly." Kurama answered with a smile, "My mother is happy and my little brother is enjoying his time in school as well as out. It's been very peaceful for the past couple of years. I have to thank you, Yusuke, for what you did in the Makai. Creating such a change has made the Makai quite the pleasant place nowadays."

Yusuke shrugged.

"Meh, it's nothing big. Just what came to mind at the time, is all."

Kurama laughed at his friend.

"Yes. And like all the times before, it proved to have worked out the best for all three realms."

"If its one thing I learned from Yusuke," Keiko interjected, "It's that no matter how stupid the idea, he can make it work. I was so relieved, though, when he came back…I was just about to give up."

"Hey! If I remember right, you did give up! Just as I was coming back, too." Yusuke corrected, glaring playfully at his fiancé.

The brunette and the red head laughed, oblivious to the strain of the female near them. Dinner, for the young woman, passed ever so slowly and it was well pass the time she should be asleep. Standing and bowing to everyone, she darted from the kitchen and to the bedroom, half hoping that the fire apparition was in the room they shared. Finding it empty, she inwardly groaned and shed her clothes, crawling into the bed swiftly and miserably.

Where was her savior?


	7. Chapter Seven

**I'm loving the comments.  
Thank you guys for supporting me.**

* * *

**Seven**

Hiei entered the apartment silently. It was well past midnight and everyone inside was asleep. He crept to the bedroom he shared with that infuriating woman and slipped in, noting her thin frame on the bed. She moved and he halted, holding his breath as she turned over and went still again. He watched her for a few moments more before shedding himself of his clothes and tossing on some pants to sleep in. He deliberated between trying to slip into that bed and brave the onna's nightmares or just go into the living room and keeping the woman's memories from his mind even longer. Deciding it best to not wake the stupid onna, he fled to the living room and laid on the couch, resting his arms behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling for what felt like forever. His time away had eased his irritation and calmed his nerves, but could he really go back to letting that irksome female cling onto him as though she were a lost puppy? He could not fathom why she became obsessed with him out of the four of them. She could have clung to Kurama or Yusuke had she wanted a demon to protect her, so why him?

He growled and shook his head, ridding himself of these thoughts before turning on his side in the dark and sighing once again. He felt odd, lying on the couch, but knew that if he got too close to the demoness that he would pick up any dream she had that dealt with her pass and for some reason; Hiei just couldn't bring himself to sit through another one of those. He sighed and closed his crimson eyes before letting the darkness around him consume his mind, calming him until he fell into a semi-peaceful slumber of black nothingness and comforting silence.

The morning came too quickly for his liking and he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stood and stumbled over to the bedroom he shared with the woman who plagued his thoughts recently. He stepped in quietly and grabbed clothes from the closet before heading to the adjacent bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror for a bit, a gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomach. He glared, sleepily, at his reflection as he tried to decipher the cause of this inane feeling. Turning towards the shower door, he turned the knob of the faucet, letting the chilled water pour into the tub. He let it warm up before turning on the shower head and glared at the light walls surrounding him, that feeling in his gut growing until a growl escaped his lips. He momentarily forgot the desire for a shower as he stormed into the bedroom and tore his white bandana from his Jagan and searched for the cause of this sensation. He growled when he could not locate any sort of evil entity and opened his crimson eyes only to realize the cause of his distress.

The demoness was not in the bed.

Immediately, Hiei took to searching for his charge, tearing the room apart to locate her. He knew that he had left her sleeping in this very room when he departed to the main room. He refused to believe that someone had snuck into the apartment while he was there, completely undetected. Angered with this possibility, he opened his Jagan again, attempting to search for the female. A shuffle caused him to snap his garnet eyes open and he pivoted around to find a figure emerging from the closet. The shadows slowly dissipated as the young woman revealed herself. He glared, enraged at the woman's idiocy to make him go on such high alert when there was no need. He growled at her, but noticed a difference in her body language. She squirmed beneath his gaze, averting her eyes so that she could not look him in the eye. Her hands fumbled in front of her, which caused him to look away. The blasted woman was naked again! He sighed irritated before running his hand down his face. His senses dull after he calmed himself and he groaned inwardly, realizing he left the water running in his quick tempered reactions. He turned to head back in the bathroom, more than willing to put distance between him and his charge. He was halted, however, when a pair of hands wrapped themselves around his middle and a body pressed itself against his back.

The fire apparition went rigid. He was suddenly aware of the woman's breathing as she pressed her fleshy mounds against his back, the hardened rose buds brushing against his back. He was stunned; taken aback by the embrace. He had not a clue how to handle this. Recollecting himself, the fire demon was about to push the female off of him, turning so that he could, he was stupefied by her next motion. The female, with her eyes closed, had tilted her head back and pressed her lips against his, arching her back so that her breasts pressed against his chest as her hands gripped at his clothing. His eyes widened. In all of his years, he had never, ever, been thrown so off guard. His mind reeled. His hands reached up and shoved the woman back just enough to halt her assault upon his mouth and he looked down at her, speechless. Her eyes were glossed over with covetousness and stilled his heart in a strange way. He gulped, watching the woman before him as a purr escaped her lips. She thrust her chest forward as she had done when he first saw her, but this time it was different.

Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes glazed over as though she were under a spell. He pushed her back, removing her from him temporarily as he fought to get the situation under control. The female stood there before stepping forth, grey eyes latched onto the demon in front of her. Her hands clutched his arms once more and she pressed herself against his front. Her hardened buds grazed his skin, sending tremors through his body. He contained a groan as he forced himself to think. Why was she acting this way? He tried to think of various reasons why, but to no avail. Maybe if he thought harder he'd be able to figure it out before all hell broke loose. He tried again, hoping to answer the silent question screaming in his mind.

He almost lost it, though, when her hands reached down to grasp at his manhood. Immediately, reality slammed into him and he grabbed her by the shoulders, turning a bit as he did so to force her to release him, and shoved. The female flew back and hit the bed with a light thud while Hiei stood there, frozen in place, as he fought to regain his control. The female stirred, sitting up and smiling at him provocatively as she got on her knees on the bed, arching her back as though she were a feline and presenting her body to him just like he had stumbled across her cage once again. The only difference? She wasn't being forced. Voluntarily, she displayed herself to him and he groaned, stepping back from the woman. The room filled with her aroma and he covered his nose and mouth with his hand. He glanced from her to the bathroom door and knew he had to escape. He darted into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him, breaking into a sweat at the sudden change in temperature as he gasped, trying to inhale a cleaner scent.

He could hear her move on the bed and shivered. The way she had presented herself to him made him want to rip off his own clothes and lay with her. He squashed the very idea. This woman was going to be the death of him with random actions like that. He broke from his thoughts when he heard nails gently scrape against the door. Weary of the woman, he hesitated. With a gulp and a lock on his emotions, the apparition opened the door. The woman with feline tendencies purred at him and entered the bathroom. He backed up, eyes roaming the woman's body as she stepped into the light of the wash room. Her pale skin was blemished with scars and her frame was thin and petite.

Forcing himself to forsake all other womanly aspects, he forced his gaze to her face and noticed the emotion in her eyes. It seemed that she was struggling against a losing battle. At one point, the female halted her advances and stood still. The only indication that she was conscious was her facial expressions. They flashed from lust and want to a grimace of pain and a frown of shame. He watched her, confused and outright appalled as she slowly brought her hands up to cover her ears. It was like she was fighting a war and soon she broke from whatever spell she was under. Her legs buckled beneath her and she hit the ground. Her knees throbbed painfully as she knelt there, her breath ragged and heavy. Wrapping her arms around her body, she shivered and shook her head, pushing the thoughts she held previously out of her mind.

Hiei watched her tremble but kept his distance. He was unsure what came over the female and he refused to take a step closer until he knew she would not act that way. Her trembling form moved as she forced herself to stand. She refused to look at him as she fought with herself for a few more moments before fleeing from the bathroom into the closet once more. He stared at the door as it swayed, attempting to close, as a shiver rippled through him at the memory of the female's lips against his. He pushed the strange feeling away and locked it deep within his subconscious before turning to the shower doors and turning off the water.

He lost the desire to shower.

He stared at his hand for a moment before walking out and finding his way into the main room, onto the couch once more. He sat there, stuck in a state of confusion. His mind reeled about, attempting to form a logical explanation to what had just transpired with the female as the sun's light began to filter in through the blinds. He just sat there as Yusuke and Keiko awoke and found their way to the kitchen. The Spirit Detective joked about Hiei's demeanor, saying that it looks like he just saw a ghost. Instead of shrugging off the comment, Hiei looked at the former Detective and glared. He wasn't in the right state of mind to deal with this idiocy.

"Hey man," Yusuke began with a yawn as he plopped next to his favorite fire demon, "what's eatin' ya'? You look like someone killed your puppy in front of you."

The joke was lost on the demon. He could not understand the phrase and just grunted in response as he composed himself.

"I do not care for such a thing as an animal pet, Detective."

Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"It was a joke, man. But seriously. What's eatin' at you?"

Hiei looked at the hanyou and blinked. Out of the three companions he had, Yusuke was sort of the last one he had ever expected to worry about him as he was showing. He shrugged and grunted, obviously not wanting to discuss the issue, but knowing that if he didn't discuss it with someone; he was going to go crazy. His thoughts traveled back to the woman in the room, how she had carelessly thrown herself at him like she was happy to be displaying herself like a common slut. He let his thoughts continue for a little while before he entrapped them and shoved them back in their little lockbox in the back of his mind. He stood and made his way over to the window sill to take his customary seat as he intentionally ignored the stares that Yusuke shot in his direction. Breakfast came and he sat to eat, finding that the onna had yet come out of the room. Keiko seemed to notice this as well and turned a curious eye at him.

"Hiei…where is she?"

He grunted and glared at the wall. What was he? Her keeper? Oh, yeah. That's right. He was. He mentally kicked his self for the moronic question.

"Hn."  
Despite his mind's protest, he stood and turned, heading towards the bedroom to locate the disturbing female. He entered with all senses on high alert. He felt her in the closet and stepped towards it. Pushing the door open, he braced himself for another episode. When she didn't immediately latch onto him, he eyed her trembling form and grunted, averting his gaze.

"Food."

It was all the fire demon could bring himself to say before he darted from the room and back to the table. He shrugged his shoulders when Keiko asked if she would be joining them, not quite sure himself. She nodded, accustomed to her mood swings, before returning to her meal. He ate mechanically. His mind was elsewhere, trapped in the haze of confusion this baka onna had stuck him in. He wondered, as he ate, why this urge to avoid the woman was so strong. He knew that being in the human realm would soften him up a fraction, but this feeling was something he could not place. He stabbed his fork into his eggs as he popped the piece in his mouth, still wondering what had happened. It took him a while, but the answer seemed to hit him square in the gut.

Hiei Jaganshi was avoiding this woman.

He was afraid of what happened.

God. Fucking. Damnit.

The infamous Hiei was scared of a puny, weak insignificant little tool? Ha! Like hell he was. He jabbed another piece of his breakfast and chewed it roughly, eyeing Keiko and Yusuke as they held conversation. He wouldn't let that stupid onna get to him. He was stronger than that confusion. Much, much stonger. He finished his breakfast and placed the plate in the sink. Finding his way to the window sill, he sat there, shirtless still from before as he thought about it. About the idiotic female and her ridiculous actions towards him that morning. Let her sit in that stupid closet for as long as she wanted. He did not care one bit.

At least, that's what he convinced himself that bright, sunny morning.

He left again that day, ignoring Keiko's inquiries and Yusuke's concerned look. He needed to go kill something and that meant a trip to the Makai. He found and crossed the border easily, inhaling the scent of the Makai, relishing in the power he felt from the lands. He had to admit, Yusuke's foolish attempts at a Democracy in the Makai turned out for the best. The bloodshed dwindled and demons felt the necessity to group together and defend their allies. As great as the new Makai was, Hiei knew that there were still those out there that lived for bloodshed and he was going to track some of them down now in order to release his pent up frustrations.

The slaying of demons was simple enough. As he stood in a clearing riddled with demon carcasses, his thoughts of the female pressed against him caused a shiver to ripple through him. A growl escaped him as he began slashing at a tree, wanting to destroy it more and more with every thought of the annoying onna. When it crashed to the ground, he stood before it heaving and gasping as though he had just ran for three days straight. He straightened himself and decided that since he was here he should check in on Mukuro and her territory. He set off at his inhuman speed, tearing through the forests and plains like a bat out of hell. His arrival was accepted with open arms by the guards and servants. Silently, he made his way towards Mukuro's chambers, crimson eyes darting around as his chest heaved for a bit. Coming up to the double doors, a grunt emitted from his throat as he shoved his shoulder against the door and pushed them open, revealing the red haired demon king. She sat back in a chair, relaxing. Her right eye, that mechanical looking thing, stared at him as though he had never left and she smiled, eyes cutting up to look at her possible heir and favorite soldier. He grunted and found his regular spot before letting her begin the conversation.

"Hiei. I'm glad to see you're okay. Where have you been? Koenma tells me you are watching over something for him."

The fire demon grunted.

"We raided a demon's hideout in the Ningenkai," he said, taking a seat across from her, "He had taken an artifact…and horded a large number of females as a harem."

Mukuro's eyes seemed to glare at him.

"We released the females but there was one demon. We took her to Koenma, he asked her questions and refused to answer. I shortly found out just why."

This peaked her interest, "Why is that Hiei? Did she explain it to you?"

The fire demon laughed, "As if things were that simple, Mukuro. She has an annoying tendency to walk around naked. But I did notice scars on her neck. I assumed, but one night while she slept and I slept, her memories…I somehow had access to them without looking. I watched the demon who held them, at a younger age, rip out her throat because she screamed when he touched her inappropriately."

Mukuro's eyes narrowed once more. She remembered the shadows of her past and Hiei knew them as well. She had bared herself to him after proving himself fit to take control of her territory. She nodded to him and cleared her throat, packing her emotions away.

"And now?" she asked.

"We're keeping her away from that demon. He contacted Koenma after he questioned her again and did something through the screen that made her crying and try to scream. He tortured her." Hiei supplied.

"And she's defenseless against it, isn't she?"

He nods. A sigh escapes Mukuro's lips as she sits back and glances up at the ceiling. Her mind wanders back to the time where she had been in a similar position. Looking back at her favorite demon, she cracked a small smile and nodded.

"And what brings you here?"

He growled.

"She acted like she wanted to lay with me." He hissed darkly.

This caused Mukuro to quirk a curious brow at him.

"What do you mean?"

His hands slammed down on the table in his frustration, "She came to me, naked, and purred like a wanton whore, Mukuro. As though she was still locked in that cell and I was the next one to choose her!"

Taken aback by his sudden anger, her eyes seemed to widen.

"And this disturbs you?"

"Of course!" he seethed, "It's like rescuing her from it wasn't enough!"

Hiei went stock still as Mukuro's laugh reverberated through the room. It was a hard, joyous laughter and it was quite new to his ears. He blinked, crimson eyes watching her curiously, wondering what it was that she laughed about. As she quieted herself, she looked upon him an amused and knowing smile.

"Oh Hiei. I may not have had the same experience, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say you might want to consult that fox demon friend of yours. I wouldn't know how to put it in terms for you to completely understand." She chortled, smiling, "I'm glad that you decided to come here with your frustrations first, though, Hiei. But to find your answers, I think Kurama would be the best one to ask."

Confused and irritated, he nodded, spent a little more time with the Demon Lord before flitting away to pass through the barrier back to the human world. He later arrived at Yusuke's apartment, and slipped in as the old group was together, talking and laughing. Yukina and Kurama were the first to notice him and greet him. He nodded in response and sat upon the windowsill, eyes sweeping the room to locate the demoness whom he was distraught over. She was not in the main room, much to his pleasure, but the look on Keiko's face when she entered the kitchen made him wonder if his charge had managed to write out what had happened. He watched her carefully before she smiled and addressed him.

"We hoped that she'd come out of the room, but I haven't heard from her yet. Is she doing well?" asked the brunette.

"Hn." He shrugged.

Her face fell and she watched as he sighed and stood, disappearing down the hall. The mint green haired maiden of ice crossed the distance and stood beside her with a smile. She turned, smiling at the ice maiden before glancing down the hall again.

"Where did Mr. Hiei go off to, Keiko-chan?" inquired Yukina.

"I think to get that girl from the room."

This seemed to surprise Yukina, "Does he still not know her name?"

Keiko shook her head. She had wondered the same thing. Just what was the name of the young woman she had staying under her roof? When Hiei did not emerge from the room, she led the ice maiden away and off to mingle with their friends who were joking and laughing about various things. Leaving the fire demon to his self and to return when he desired to.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Eight**

When he entered the room, the first thing he noticed was the form on the bed, kneeling and staring at the headboard like it was the most intriguing thing in the world. He closed the door silently behind him as he glanced down near her knees. Scattered about were papers with words scrawled carelessly across them. As he approached, he could make them out. The light of dusk was fading but his demon eyes were able to read the scrawled out letters. "Whore". "Slut". "Sex". Those words among various phrases were written on the pages. He cautiously stepped closer, hoping she did not have another episode. When she turned to glance at him, her cheeks flushed a bright scarlet hue and she grabbed the blanket, tugging it over her shoulders.

"Hn." He grunted, knowing that it was not something he had not seen, "Why are you just sitting here?"

She looked at him and then made a grab for her notebook, _"I don't like being out there alone." _

He was impressed. In the time Kurama had taken to show her to write, she was fully capable of writing out a sentence. He nodded and quirked a brow as she collapsed against the bed. She seemed distraught and even depressed. He watched her and picked up the sheets surrounding her, eyeing them like they were trash. She watched him, pale silver eyes wary as he grunted down at her.

"There are people out there." He grunted, glaring, "you wouldn't be alone."

It surprised him how true his statement really was. Ever since he had met them he had never really felt alone. He leaned against the wall near the headboard and watched her as she seemed to silently sigh and roll onto her back, naked. She glanced at him and turned away, her cheeks becoming a bright rosy pink.

"Hn. The hell is wrong with you now?" he grunted, exasperated.

She shook her head, hands finding her notebook and pen.

_I'm sorry. _Was all she scrawled before turning to him and sitting up, showing the book to him.

He tilted his head to the side, confused. Just what was it she was apologizing for?

"Fo –"

He never finished his sentence because she leaned up and pressed her lips against his.

Stunned into silence, the fire demon's crimson eyes were wide. He froze in place as she pressed her body against him, silver eyes closing in her haze as she subconsciously licked at the his bottom lip, begging for access. He groaned, his insides suddenly burning with a need for the demon in from of him. He parted his lips and her tongue danced gracefully with hers. Strong arms enveloped her as she pressed herself against him some more, her pale thin arms slid up around his neck as she clung to him. He felt her through that kiss. Her very being reverberated within that connection. He felt her loneliness, her fear, her shame. Another taste mingled with hers and it took him a while before he recognized what it was. He could barely contain himself as they fell, her back and him forward, onto the bed. She was pinned beneath him and he broke the connection with her, panting heavily as he braced himself over her. His eyes traveled down her naked form, taking in all of her. His mind was cloudy and full of haze. He could hear the laughter from the living room like it was a dulled and slightly muted all the way in the back of his mind.

A moment passed as they both breathed heavily, attempting to catch their breath. His eyes came up to focus on her face, that cherubic face. Her soft lips were perfectly shaped, currently swollen from the kiss, and her slim body was perfect with its curves and even with her pale complexion. Her chest, with its perfect breasts rose and fell with her breathing and his eyes froze over hers. They stared at one another and he gulped, Adam's apple bobbing a bit. He had never truly lain with someone he knew. He doubled back. Was he really about to lay with her? Her eyes were glazed over with lust and he groaned as she brought her lips up to his neck again, forcing him to shiver with arousal. He looked down at the woman beneath him and he reached over to the discarded pad and pen, handing it to her as he straddled her. Something was bothering him and he needed to know that he wasn't going to fuck up his honor without consent of what she was inviting him to do.

"What…" he growled huskily, staring down at her, "is your name?"

She arched her brow at him but scribbled her answer, turning the pad to him.

_I don't have one. _She scribbled, _I was only referred to as Whore. _

He grunted, disliking that answer as his head began to clear. She seemed to notice this and thrusted her hips upwards, causing her to grind against him. He groaned, knowing that the lid on his control was beginning to pop.

"Do you want this?" he groaned, not really caring if she did or not.

A nod was all she gave as she tossed the pad and pen aside, pushing her self up onto her elbows lips catching Hiei's once more. He tried to control that lusty desire he held within but found it hard. Control slipped through his grasp as she yanked his shirt off and they broke their kiss. Her hands found the pad and she scribbled as he watched her curiously, greed clouding his judgment as he attempted to read what she had scrawled sloppily across the fresh page.

_I need this. _She wrote, and he could see the faint signs of glassy eyes, _It's what I was molded into._

He groaned between annoyance and arousal. He knew she wouldn't want it. He hated woman who toyed with him. He squinted, trying to read the rest.

_I need this…a lot. Please. Give me it. _

That was all he needed to know. The pad and pen were discard to the side and a silent moan escaped her as he trapped her lips to his and he finished discarding his own clothes. They seemed to fight for dominance in the kiss, him grunting in arousal at the mere struggle. No female ever fought for dominance in any sort of lip locking activity he participated in, be it in the Ningenkai or Makai. He shivered as he shed himself of the rest of his clothes and pulled back, holding himself over the female and a thought flitted through his mind; one that should have shocked him and would have had he not been gripped in the hands of lust. The way she leaned into him when he hadn't even touched her; the way she looked up at him through her lashes. It wasn't whorish. Not in the least bit. It wasn't as though she had done this for her whole life. It wasn't that she was just a young demoness that was emotionally connected to him because she wasn't. It was because she was a young woman.

And she needed this.  
Yeah, that's it.  
Because she needed this.

Hiei dipped his head low and caught her lips with his until he couldn't contain himself any longer. She knew that he was on the brink of taking her. She could feel it in the way he moved, in the way his body shivered with every move she made. She could tell by the way he looked at her. It was the same look that her customers had when they gazed upon her. That lusty gaze that sent shivers down her spine and made her want to crawl back into her hole. However, with this fire demon in front of her, she felt more alive when he gazed at her with that look. She would have moaned from the mere eye to eye contact he gave her as he was slowly losing his control. She could tell that this was a new playing field for him, but the need which churned inside of her was rapidly growing. She needed this. Needed him. Her body shook as he stared down at her and finally he gave in, a moan escaping his lips as his restraints shattered and his decision made.

She was going to finally be relieved of this burden.

* * *

**Okay readers~! **

**Now here's the deal...This chapter is, in all actuality, longer. However, the last time I checked, I couldn't post anything sexually graphic up on here so...if you would like to see the juicy lemon that SHOULD be in this chapter, please feel free to message me about it (or leave the desire in the Reviews, I'll be sure to read it there too) and I will try to get it around. :) **

**As for my reviewers, I thank all of you. **

**To SilverLinedApathy, I am really excited to hear that you think my Hiei is in character. I'm hoping this chapter did not disappoint nor leave out the demeanor in which he holds himself~!  
**

**Please continue your reviews~!  
A Name will be known soon, guys, I promise~! :)  
**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Nine**

Sunlight filtered in through the blinds as Hiei stirred. His mind was muddled and hazy as he tried to think. Sitting up in bed, he rubbed at his crimson eyes, removing the grogginess and sleep from them. Finally cracking his eyes open, he stretched and took a deep inhale as he awoke only to freeze. He tiled his head back and tentatively sniffed, his demon senses picking up just what he thought he had picked up before.

He could smell sex in the air.

Looking down at himself he found his body, nude and tangled in the sheets and even limbs of the baka onna. His mind flashed to last night. The absolute need this woman put in him was astonishing. He shook his head, growling at himself. He shouldn't have lost control like that, but when she mentioned she needed it, he just couldn't say no. Something inside him unlocked. Maybe it was because he had not lain with a woman for a while, even when in heat. Maybe it was because she threw herself at him like a wanton slut. Or maybe it was because he lost his ability to control himself after throwing herself at him like a wanton slut. The possibilities weren't endless and he really didn't want to think about how she would act now.

Just as he thought it, she stirred. He watched her as she sat up and stretched and he could see the damage from last night. His eyes widened at the light bruising on her wrists and the red marks he had left upon her breasts with his bites. He noticed a fading bite mark on her neck as well. If she walked out there, they would know. The onna didn't seem to care much as she began to smile and jumped out of bed, happily making her way to the bathroom with some pep in her step. He watched her a bit stunned. She acted like nothing was wrong. He was confused as he stood and looked at himself in the mirror. He was the same Hiei Jaganshi as before. The sound of water reached his ears the same time that the start of breakfast reached his nose. He inhaled and turned, walking towards the bathroom. He stood at the door, glaring at it, willing the female to come out. He felt hunger seize him but quelled it due to the desire for a shower. He was glaring at the door when it opened.

Surprised, he stepped back. The female was standing there, smiling up at him unlike any other time. He quirked a brow but grunted as she grabbed him and pulled him into the bathroom and the shower with her. He stared at her as he removed his bandana, not wanting it to be wet as he tossed it from the shower and slid under the water as she stepped in behind him. He turned and looked at her. She smiled, grabbing the soap and lathering her hands before reaching out to him and pulling him forward. She lathered up his body, her small soft hands gently massaging his tense muscles. He watched her in wonder, trying to figure out just why she was doing this.

She soaped him up from neck to toes, before cupping water in her hands and rinsing him. He watched her white locks dampen and cling to her back and face. He inhaled sharply as she came around to his back and pressed those wondrous fleshy mounds against his back as she worked to shampoo his hair. He shivered when she stopped and moved back, gently tugging him back. He moved to comply and even sat upon the shower floor to let her reach his hair without having to press herself against him. She massaged his scalp with the shampoo he had, taking much care to be gentle yet thorough the whole time. She stepped out to grab a cup she used to rise her hair with and filled it with water, rinsing the fire demon's hair with the water that was cascading upon his legs.

When she finished, he stood, feeling a bit more refreshed than normal. He quirked a brow as she maneuvered herself around him to stand in the water and tilted her head back, enjoying the water. He watched her bathe herself, taking exquisite care of her womanly cleft. He looked away and got out as she finished rinsing her hair. He grabbed a towel from the shelving over the toilet and wrapped it around his waist as she turned off the water and stepped out. This wasn't what he had intended when he wanted her to open the door. He glanced over to her as she smiled at him and moved towards the mirror that was fogged up from the shower. She put her finger to it, scrawling words in the fog for him. He glanced at it and blinked.

_Thank you for last night. I am in your debt, Master Hiei._

Okay, he **really** wasn't expecting that.

She smiled and bowed to him before flitting off into their shared room. He grabbed a towel and shook his head, realizing she didn't dry herself off. He walked out and into the room, tossing the towel at her. It hit her in the back of the head and she turned towards him as the towel draped over her head. He grunted, motioning for her to dry herself off. Smiling, she complied and dried her body off first before wrapping the towel around her hair. She made it into a makeshift turban to hold her wet locks as she dressed. Baggy blue jeans clung to her waist while a black tank top adorned her torso. She threw on a black beanie once she dried her snowy white hair and her wrist bands slid onto her wrists. She smiled and skipped to the door. Hiei finished dressing and walked with her out to the kitchen.

She called him Master. Did she really think he wanted to own her? He was just doing what he was sent to do. He groaned, inwardly. He needed to have this sorted out with the fox. Mukuro was right, and he hated when she was right. He sat and ate his breakfast with ease, glancing at the female every now and again. If she was to be his slave, he could have her do anything he wanted. His mind reeled back to that night. He could do that again or even have her pick up his favorite treat. He shifted in his seat for a moment and he deliberated. Yes, he was going to have to talk to the fox. Breakfast finished quickly and he stood, moving back to make his way towards the room, the female hot on his heels. He entered, watching her follow him as he assessed her.

"Behave." He grunted, watching her nod, "I'll return later."

She smiled, bowing low to him with a grateful smile upon her lips. She was glad that he told her, a desire she had the last time he had vanished on her. She watched him throw on his cloak and smiled as he disappeared from her site before heading out to the living room where Yusuke was on the couch playing a device she had never seen before. Coming over to sit on the couch besides him she squinted at the screen. She saw fake humans killing one another and blood as gunshots were heard. Intrigued, she looked at Yusuke and pointed to it.

"Hmm?" he asked, looking at her, "Oh! You've never seen an Xbox360 before, have you?"

The item foreign to her, she shook her head.

"Well, I'm playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Basically I have to kill the other guys on the map that aren't on my team." He explained, "I love this game."

She smiled and sat back as she watched him. The female watched the demon with curious eyes as he played, happy and content with herself. Her elated mood was practically unbreakable. She bounced in her spot as the minutes turned to hours and Yusuke left the television on for her as he departed to the kitchen to make some sort of food. The demoness was content, curling up on the couch and watching some mindless show she did not understand. She was content being alone in a room with a male a few feet away from her in the adjacent room. She was perfectly fine with everything at this moment.

She felt perfect for the first time since coming here.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hiei was sitting in a corner of Kurama's bedroom, fingers drumming against his forearms as Kurama stared at him in obvious astonishment. He just explained the night's events without too much detail to the fox demon and he couldn't even form a coherent thought, much to Hiei's displeasure. He waited half patiently as Kurama slowly came out of his shock and shook his head.  
"What on Earth, Hiei?"

"Hn…" he grunted, rolling his crimson eyes, "She said she needed it. I wasn't going to turn an offer like that down. It was like she was dying, fox. Dying to get it…"

Kurama nodded and grimaced as he realized what Hiei was describing to him. Knowing that the fire demon rarely cared for anything else when he had an opportunity to get what he desired, he realized he really shouldn't be so surprised. His emerald eyes locked onto Hiei's crimson orbs as he pondered this, wanting to know just what was going through the fire demon's head hours ago.

"She asked." he repeated.

"Hn. Yes." Growled the fire demon, "Must I repeat myself, fox?"

"No, no," Kurama stated, shaking his head a bit sadly, "I'm just…If I'm right, Hiei, she's going to ask you for this again."

A black brow quirked up in curiosity, making the red head sigh.

"According to everything you have told me, Hiei, she is having withdrawals from the constant intimacy she shared with all those men. She is beginning to miss the long nights of how she was treated. To be more precise, her body misses the attention and she now craves it." Kurama informed his fire demon companion, "Her body has become so accustomed to the treatment that without it she cannot function."

"Hn. Meaning?" grunted the fire demon, feigning disinterest.

Emerald eyes looked at him solemnly, "It means that she's addicted to sex, Hiei. She'll go insane if she does not get her fix."

Crimson orbs widened.

"I hate to say it, Hiei, but now that you've given into her once, she's going to want you to do it aga-"

The fire demon vanished before he could finish his sentence. Sighing, Kurama leaned back in his chair, a hand running down the side of his face as he contemplated following the fire demon. He shrugged off his worry and changed, readying to go out. Hiei wasn't stupid. He'd figured out what to do. At least, that's what Kurama hoped with all he had in him. This was a dangerous flame he was toying with and if he wasn't careful, things would get too complicated too soon.

* * *

The young demoness was becoming more and more distraught as the day slowly passed without a hint of her favorite fire demon. There was no sign of the apparition which she favored greatly and it was beginning to worry her. The former spirit detective took notice of her increasing stress levels and tried to keep her distracted to the best of his ability. He distracted her from her thoughts with an old device of his he used to love to play before he got his Xbox360. No one knew where Hiei had disappeared to, so they could do very little to assure her that he was fine. Instead, Yusuke made sure she was occupied with his Nintendo DS. It took her a while to figure out and learn the controls, but once she got the hang of them she was consumed by the game. It was an old game, so he let her save over the old progress on it. He laughed, shaking his head as he watched her play it, curled up on the recliner, and never looking up to the world around her. He was glad he thought of it, pride evident in his cocky grin. Besides, its not like anyone played Pokémon Ruby anymore.

Soon, Yusuke had to leave, wanting to open his ramen stand before the returning rush from work came. He called out to Keiko who trotted over to him and they kissed briefly before she told him what she would be making for dinner. He laughed and playfully insulted her cooking before darting out of the house. Keiko screamed after him about how she would kill him when he returned home only to receive a fading laugh and a quick shot of "I love you too" before he vanished from her sight. She sighed and shook her head, grumbling about how he still hadn't grown up from the time he was a kid, before sauntering back to the laundry room. She paused, seeing the demoness curled on the recliner playing a game Yusuke had lent to her and smiled.

For the next hour, Keiko immersed herself in laundry, happily finishing the last of the clothes before sighing and debating on what she wanted to do. With and snap of her fingers she skipped into her and Yusuke's bedroom and changed. When she returned to the living room, the demoness was standing and stretching. She smiled. It had only been about a month or so since the woman arrived here, but she was happy to have another female in the house. She carefully came over, still a bit worried about her distain for humans.

"Hey," she said, giving the girl a smile, "Would you like to come shopping with me?"

The girl's gaze latched onto Keiko's and she tilted her head to the side as if confused. She frowned at Keiko, holding up a finger as she darted into the bedroom she shared with her favorite demon. Finding her note pad and pen, she exits and nods to Keiko, signaling she was ready. She did not want to look foolish and not be able to communicate with the human. She slipped on some black flip flops with plaid cloth thong straps and smiled as they left. Not one to leave the house, she barely had the chance to see the outside world. Tall structures surrounded them as she followed behind Keiko, gulping at the size of them. The streets were full of people. Clutching the notepad close to her chest, she moved closer to Keiko, causing her to jump when she reached out to take hold of the human's sleeve. She looked around, silver eyes wide as she walked with Keiko into a nearby building. Keiko quickly explained that this was a grocery store, a place where you could exchange money for necessities like food and clothes and such. The female's lips curled back in a silent snarl at the mention of money. The brunette rolled her chocolate eyes with a small smile before grabbing a shopping kart. She pushed it forward, the demoness on her heels as she moved.

The shopping was a new experience for her. Despite her discomfort radiating from her, the demoness was surprisingly obedient, Keiko noticed. The woman looked on edge as she went through the aisles, placing items they needed at the house in the kart. Time passed slowly for the demoness, her heart hammering in fear every single step, but they were soon on their way home. Both females carried three bags, the demoness trading Keiko so the brunette wasn't carrying the heavy things. She was raised as a slave and slaves did all of the work, the fact that Keiko told her she could handle the three light bags was irksome enough. When they returned, the female stubbornly attempted to put things away while Keiko hung up her jacket. She finished and nodded her head to Keiko before heading into the bedroom she shared with the elusive fire demon. She grabbed the IPod that lay on the dresser and pressed the earphones in her ears as she plopped on the bed, lying back so that she was staring up at the ceiling. Without skipping a beat, she pressed play and music assaulted her senses. She did not even blink.

Time passed slowly and soon she could smell dinner as Keiko cooked. For some reason, though, she could not move from her spot. Her eyes were glued onto the ceiling and she was oblivious to all sounds around her as music echoed in her head from the headphones. Laying there, ignorant of the sounds of the window opening, she sighed, closing her eyes and drifting in that emptiness she has grown accustomed to as of late. Her body felt weightless as her mind drifted in that darkness, but she jerked, eyes flying open as a weight made the bed dip near her head. Crimson met silver and her breath caught for a moment before she gasped and flipped onto her stomach, Hiei flipping in her view to be right side up. She stared at the fire apparition and suddenly a grin broke out onto her face. She ripped the headphones from her ears, watching Hiei visibly cringe at the noise that echoed from them. Quickly turning it off the female watched her savior with a smile and curious eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed watching her, eyes narrowing slightly as they stared at one another, unblinking.

"Hn." The fire demon began, "I don't appreciate being used, onna."

Her brows furrowed. Suddenly, silver orbs snapped open and her face flushed crimson. She knew she had taken advantage of his demon instincts and although ashamed, she couldn't help but to have enjoyed it.

_I'm sorry. _Was all she managed to think as she played with her hands absentmindedly.

"Hn." He grunted, turning to glare at the wall. He was angered by his own idiocy, never having realized what was wrong with the woman. He was infuriated that she had this uncanny ability to light his body on fire and utterly irked that she could even be so innocent through it all. It made no sense. He shifted; standing as Keiko could be heard greeting Yusuke as he returned from his ramen stand. Turning towards the demoness who was nervously kneeling on the bed, fingers playing with each other, he rolled his eyes. He knew that he should tell her now, but didn't know how to address this topic, seeing as it was awkward enough for him trying to converse about the topic of their night together. Her eyes flickered up to his face as he groaned and ran a hand over his face before glaring at her.

"Dinner!"

Keiko's timing was terrible, Hiei noted as he glared at the door. The woman stood, bouncing to her feet like a puppy called up when the human's voice flitted down the corridor to her ears. She looked between Hiei and the door, sensing that he had something on his mind. She hesitated but as he glared at the wall to his right she gave her silent sigh and turned towards the door, her hand reaching out to grab the knob. Her body froze, however when Hiei spoke again, a single word on his lips.

"Kiyomi."

The female turned towards him, brows furrowed in confusion before looking around the room, wondering if a female would emerge. She tilted her head to the side when no one did and looked at him. Hiei rolled his crimson eyes, inwardly groaning at the woman's stupidity. Was she really that dense? Did he really need to spell it out for her? With an irritated sigh, he walked over to her and pointed at her, his finger brushing the space between her fleshy, soft breasts. He gulped, remembering them pressed against him and he scoffed, hiding his odd sensations and he poked her.

"Kiyomi." He repeated.

The female looked at him, eyes wide. She pointed to herself, lips moving over the name. Her lips repeated the name in silence again as she furrowed her brows at him. He could tell just by the look upon her face that she was asking him a question. Me?

"Hn. Yes." Came his curt reply as he opened the door and stepped out, "Kiyomi."

She looked over her shoulder at him, watching him disappear from her sight before it dawned on her what just happened. She gulped, looking around the room once more before pinching her arm to make sure she was honestly awake. She cringed and rubbed the sore spot, looking at the open door. She did not know what to think. Hiei had just told her a name. Not just any name, but her's. the fire demon was removing her title as 'whore' and replacing it with a name he deemed fine for her. She could not tell whether or not she was excited or worried about the exchange, but barely had time to think as her head snapped up, thoughts halting at he called her again.

"Kiyomi!" came his snarl from down the hall, towards the kitchen, "Follow!"

His hiss did not go unnoticed by the couple. Keiko practically glared and Yusuke looked around, wondering who the hell Kiyomi was. Hiei stood in the doorway to the kitchen, waiting expectantly. The woman emerged from the room and ran towards him, not wishing to upset her companion. She had a blush upon her cheeks that Hiei took notice of as he sat at the table, nodding for her to sit beside him. She bowed her head in thanks and sat, gratefully accepting the food given to her. She picked up her chopsticks, a bowl of rice and chicken already in her hands as she continually glanced at Hiei. She was stunned to say the least. Unable to figure out anything else to think about, she turned to Hiei, catching his eye. She smiled, picking up her pen and scribbling on the notepad he did not notice her bring to the table. Her handwriting has been steadily improving, he noticed, as crimson eyes flickered down to the scrawled out letters.

_Kiyomi. _She had written, _I love it, Master Hiei. Thank you, Master._

"Hn." He growled.

She really needed to stop calling him that. Otherwise, there would be a repeat of last night. He chewed upon the bite in his mouth, glancing up at her face once more with that ridiculous smile in place. Yes, she needed to stop this frivolous behavior. He was no Master, despite how much he craved to take advantage of this rare opportunity. He watched her, curiously as she ate her meal and sighed. Ownership of a woman was going to be new to him, but he had no choice. He knew she would not call him anything other than 'Master' and although it irked him, it also made him smirk. Maybe he could get her to say something with more meaning to it like Lord. He smirked at his own thoughts.

Oh yes, 'Lord Hiei' was perfect.

* * *

**And there you have it ladies and gentlewomen~! (And gentlemen if there are any reading this.) **  
**Through everything, and the polls, "Pure Beauty" won the meaning poll, so here it is. :) **  
**Thank you guysa for helping~! **  
**Hope you enjoyed~! I'm off for the night. hopefully chapter ten will be up soon and the boring introductions can get fa behind us now. Couldn't progress anymore without a name so here it is :)**

**Please rate and Review~! They keep me going~! :D**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Ten**

The next morning was strange for Hiei. The woman awoke beside him, showered him as though it were her duty, and even helped get his clothing out of the drawers for him. Somehow, him giving her a name only compelled her to try and service him more. He blinked as he tossed on his clothes, eyeing the wet demoness as his eyes drifted down her body and then back up, slowly, like a predator does to his prey. He cleared his throat and put his bandana back on before turned towards the door, glancing at the woman as she dressed in her baggy clothes again. He quirked a brow at her, realizing that they had gotten her sun dresses, yet she has yet to wear them. He filed that in his mind, planning to ask about it when she placed a hand on his arm, smiling up at him with her notepad and pen clutched in her other arm. He grunted, turning his head to glare at the door as he opened it and stepped out. They ambled down the corridor and looked around. Stepping into the living room, he rolled his eyes as multiple pairs of eyes landed upon his arm where the female was clinging. He had warned her that there was company so she immediately latched onto him. He saw Kurama and she seemed to nod to him as he greeted them.

"Damn!" came Kuwabara's obnoxious voice, "You guys took forever!"

The woman cringed and Hiei glared.

"Hello Hiei." Yukina greeted, crimson eyes lighting up to see him, "How are you?"

"Fine." He said, voice softening as he watched her smile and look to the demoness.

The female peeked around Hiei's arms like a child would their parent. She saw Yukina and smiled at the ice apparition, glad to have another female demon present. The ice apparition smiled at her as she greeted her and then moved back to her lover, smiling at him as she came to him. The woman arched a brow, watching the demon smile at her human lover, still baffled by how she could love a human when most of them are so evil. She shivered as the laughter or grin flashed in her mind from various human males. She gulped and clutched onto Hiei's arm tighter as he rolled his eyes.

He turned on his heel, heading for the window, the onna clinging onto him every step of the way. He felt her release him as they reached the window and he glanced at her, watching her slid down the wall to sit, cross legged on the floor. He rolled his eyes and scoffed as he leapt onto the sill and sat, glancing at the gathering. He wondered why everyone was here so early. There seemed to be something that everyone needed to know. He arched a brow and rolled his eyes as Yusuke and Kuwabara began to argue. A knock came to the door and he looked at it while Keiko stood to answer it.

He watched as the female froze and he turned to see who was at the door. She jerked her face down and hid it behind her notepad as though she were reading. It was obvious she was afraid. He moved from the sill, standing and moving so he could see the person at the door. It was a male, about forty in human years and dark haired, Hiei noted and his eyes narrowed. Keiko smiled and laughed, apparently it was an old friend of her parents. Kiyomi moved behind him. He could practically feel her whimpering and he glared at the man as he entered. Yusuke grinned and greeted him, asking about his wife and kids. The man shook his head.

"Gina and the boys are all right. I came by to see if the Ukimuras were here." He said smiling, looking around the room, "I hope I didn't disrupt a party."

"Of course not, Hoshi." Keiko began, "Please, let me introduce everyone."

Keiko began, starting with Yukina and Hiei tensed. If the woman behind him feared this human, there must have been a reason. He glared at Keiko, trying to will her to shut up as she pointed to the mint green haired maiden he called his sister.

"This is Yukina and her boyfriend, Kuwabara. He's Yusuke's best friend. That's Kuwabara's sister, Shizuru," she said, pointing to the tall brunette that sat alone on Kiyomi's recliner, "Besides her is Kurama. That is Botan. An old friend of ours," she continued, oblivious to Hiei's glare and pointing to her light blue haired friend, "With her is Koenma." Her finger slid to the tall short brown haired male who had removed his pacifier the moment the doorbell rang and pulled his hat down to hide the 'Jr.' tattoo on his forehead. "That's Hiei." She said, finally pointing to him and blanching at his furious glare. Kiyomi peeked her head out from behind him, eyes wide as Keiko laughed nervously and turned to her father's old friend, "and that's Kiyomi. She's staying with us for a while."

The name must have thrown him off as he greeted everyone shaking hands as Keiko closed the door. He could practically feel Kiyomi's heartbeat skyrocketing. She buried her face in his back, her breath hitching up as she shook. He began to wonder if she was crying and it made him turn his furious red eyes at the male who had entered. He turned, smiling at them as Kurama greeted him and when he looked at them, his eyes shot open and mouth hung open. Kiyomi was looking at him, eyes teary and glassy and he pointed a finger at her spluttering like he could not speak. The woman shook her head, clinging onto Hiei.

He could feel that she wanted to leave but she wouldn't move without him; he wouldn't move until this guy was gone. The air seemed to thicken with the intense aura filling the room. Kurama took notice of Hiei's stance as he began to crouch slightly in warning and, dare he say, protectiveness? Standing, Kurama briskly walked to Hiei and stood a step in front of him, to the side, looking down at his companion before noticing the small, shivering hands that clutched his arm. The demoness, whose name he just learned was Kiyomi, was staring at the man with wide eyes and tears about to spill down her cheeks. He turned, emerald eyes focusing on the man. He was human, he was sure, but he had met Kiyomi before?

It clicked. His emerald green eyes shot open before narrowing, darkly.

"Kurama." Yusuke said, pointedly looking at Hiei, "What's wrong with him?"

"Mr. Hoshi?" Keiko began, looking between him and the fire demon that looked about ready to kill him, "Do you know Kiyomi?"

The human cleared his throat and nodded, eyes locked on the woman.

"She's a…friend of a friend's." he said, smiling a tight smile in her direction, "He's been looking for her. Worried about her safety. The poor girl can barely function without help. He was caring for her and-"

A harsh, low growl cut him short.

Turning, he found the source to be the dark haired male who the girl clung onto. He looked at him like he was a monster, but he forced a tight lipped smile onto his face.

"Oh Kiyomi," he said, addressing the girl, "You know that Kuroichi is very worried about you. You really should go home."

The girl's mouth opened in a silent wail and Hiei's growl intensified.

"I think," Kurama began, malice evident in his words, "that you should leave, Mr. Hoshi. Ms. Kiyomi is perfectly taken care of where she is."

"Kurama!" Keiko gasped, appalled.

Yusuke's eyes narrowed. His senses picking up Kurama's anger and Hiei's rage; he glanced at Mr. Ukimura's old friend and crossed his arms, "The hell is going on, guys?"

"Leave." Hiei hissed darkly, his eye sight becoming tinged with red.

"I surely cannot leave without Kiyomi being reunited with her best friend," he tried, tight lipped, a better reason to stay, he thought.

"You can and will."

"Mr. Hiei? Kurama?" Yukina's soft voice began, sensing their agitation and standing, her lover moving with her as she moved into Hiei's line of sight, "What is wrong with Mr. Hoshi?"

Kiyomi's face was buried into Hiei's arm again and that is when he felt it. The tears she began to silently weep as she shook violently. The man was making her cry just by being here. He glanced at Kurama who nodded to him before his narrow emerald eyes found the human again, pinning him to the spot.

"It seems Mr. Hoshi," Kurama spat the name out as though it were poison, "knows Kiyomi from her time captured."

The whole room went quiet. Stunned faces were around for everyone and Koenma blinked, seizing the opportunity to find more of their target through this man. He stood, Botan moving with him.

"Close the door!" he shouted.

Botan acted first, running and slamming the door closed, locking it. Keiko was confused, "What's going on?" she demanded, looking around to everyone, trying to decipher what in the blazing hells was going on. She cringed though, when Yusuke's voice boomed with anger.

"You sick **fuck**!" came the hanyou's enraged shout, "You have a wife! You have kids!"

Hoshi looked as though he were being boxed into a corner. It was obvious that he did not think they all knew how he met her. He glanced at the girl with her face against that boy's arm. She couldn't speak. He saw the scars himself. So just how did these people know? He looked around the room, feeling boxed in with the stares. He knew that Keiko was his best shot at getting out of here unharmed; her and the young woman whose boyfriend looked just as confused as the two girls. He turned to his best friend's daughter, attempting to talk to her again.

"I don't know what the fuss is, Keiko, but-"

"Don't." Yusuke darkly hissed, suddenly appearing in front of his fiancé, "Don't you **dare** talk to Keiko like she's your friend."

"Yusuke! Stop it!"

"Urameshi," Kuwabara interjected, his arms finding their way around Yukina as he stepped back, pulling his beloved with him, "What's up?"

"Are you deaf?" hissed Hiei, "Or just fucking stupid?"

"Hey!" Kuwabara bristled.

"Yusuke," the human male tried, suddenly looking like a trapped animal about to be slaughtered, "I've known Keiko all her life, and of course she's very dear to me."

The hanyou threw his head back and laughed. It was dark and humorless, something Keiko had never heard before and it scared her. She looked at Botan, who looked around, slightly confused as well before putting a hand on her friend's shoulders.

"Koenma, Sir?" Botan tried, eyeing the fire and fox demons, feeling like things needed to be explained before one of them killed the human man.

"Kuroichi," Koenma said, "You say he's a friend of yours?"

He couldn't miss the cringe he saw in his peripheral vision as the man nodded with a relieved smile.

"Yes. Called me up a couple of weeks ago; said Kiyomi was missing. He asked if I knew where she was, but I couldn't tell him. I've never been close to Kiyomi."

Another growl came from the fire demon. It was growing more angered and very much animalistic. He crouched a little, remembering the demoness was on his arms as Kurama mimicked the move, bending his knees slightly, preparing for a fight should it arise.

"Kiyomi's very dear to him." He completed, looking at the brown haired male with a small smile.

"What's Kiyomi's full name?" Koenma asked, genuinely curious.

"Kiyo…mizu." He said, trying to feign his knowledge of the girl's family, "Kiyomizu Chiyoko."

"That's a lie." Hiei hissed darkly, glaring at the man.

"Oh?" Hoshi countered, knowing the guy didn't know shit about the girl who clung onto him, "How would you know?"

A smirk, dark and angry flashed on the fire demon's face. He stood back up, knowing that his words were about to make the human squirm. He felt the wet spots continue to grow as the woman shook on his arm. He wanted nothing more than to jump at the pathetic human and punch his face in. He dare tried to twist the name he had just given Kiyomi the day before? Trying to taint it with pure lies? If he weren't a human, Hiei would have ripped his throat out all ready.

"I gave her the name Kiyomi." The demon taunted, shocking everyone else in the room, "The name Kiyomi was bestowed onto her by me. No Kiyomizu. No Chiyoko. Just Kiyomi."

The human paled. Koenma's eyes looked ready to bulge out of their sockets for a moment but turned to the man, looking at Yusuke before looking back at the man.

"Hoshi..?" Koenma began, silently asking for a complete name.

"Takeshi Hoshi." Replied the man as he backed away from Hiei and Kurama.

"Takeshi Hoshi, you are under arrest." Koenma stated as Yusuke and Kuwabara moved forth, knowing they needed to grab the man.

"A-Arrest? For what?" he cried, struggling as Yusuke grabbed him roughly.

"For participating in a human trafficking and prostitution ring." He stated, as though it were obvious.

The gasps that were heard from the girls, Shizuru included, meant that they all understood exactly what had just happened. Hoshi, Keiko's father's best friend, had been a customer to Kiyomi's former Master, whose name was now known as Kuroichi. Keiko's voice began angered and hysterical. Botan tried to comfort the brunette as she called for Shizuru and Yukina. Together, the women helped a shocked and angry Keiko from the living room into the kitchen. Kiyomi was the only one to stay behind. Yusuke roughly pushed the human forward and over to Koenma who ran a hand down his face.

"I came here to talk to you all about finding this guy, but..." he trailed off, glancing at the cowering demoness, "It appears we've got a potential lead now."

He turned, calling for Botan. The blue hair, pink eyed spirit guide poked her head out from the kitchen before running over to the spirit world ruler and nodded when he began to instruct her. Yusuke pushed the man forward and Koenma looked at him apologetically. The former Spirit Detective shrugged and glared at nothing but the wall straight ahead. Grabbing a hold of Yusuke, who held the protesting man, he reached out for Botan's hand. She gave it and closed her eyes, her hand coming up to touch something upon her chest. They disappeared, Botan's translucent portal taking them to spirit world. Yukina emerged from the kitchen, a solemn look upon her face when she could not find Yusuke. Kuwabara smiled, following his beloved back into the kitchen to try and calm down a distraught Keiko. Yusuke would be back soon enough.

Kurama turned towards his old friend, eyeing him as he glared at the spot the group had disappeared from before his eyes locking on the woman whose face was hidden by his arm. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that they were in some sort of relationship. Then again, after what Hiei had come to him about yesterday, he wasn't so sure he knew the fire demon anymore. They all had started to lose contact with one another after the first Demon World tournament and even though he once knew every single aspect of the fire demon, recently there have been subtle changes that have confused him; like lying with a female whom was strange to him. Yes, Hiei was becoming quite the distant character, again. Kurama sighed as he ducked away and into the kitchen where Keiko sat at the table, palms against her closed eyes as she muttered to herself about how she could have missed it. She shivered and a sob seemed to be caught in her throat every time she went to speak. That man was her father's best friend. It was like her uncle going behind her aunt's back and cheating! Kurama attempted to help console her, but sighed when he heard the slam of a door. The slam caught everyone's attention and soon, Hiei was stalking into the kitchen, glaring at the floor.

"Hiei?" Kurama asked, the unspoken question hovering in the air between them.

"Hn." Came the response as he moved to the refrigerator, opened it and grabbed two bottles of water.

"Hey, runt." Kuwabara tried next, "'Sup with Kiyomi?"

The fire apparition just grunted again, closing the door to the cooling contraption before pivoting away and heading back to the female who just locked herself in their room. His glare was trained straight ahead, not pinned on anyone. It was an oddity. Whenever Hiei glared, it was always at someone who had irked him. This time, however, his glare seemed unplaced and it did not go unnoticed by Kurama. He stayed where he was, though, knowing that Keiko needed people until Yusuke returned. She was on the verge of crying when he finally walked in, Botan on his heels.

"Oh Keiko, dear." Botan cooed, hugging her friend close, "I'm so sorry."

Yusuke came over and hugged his fiancé, not a single word escaping his lips as he did so. He was too shocked, too consumed in his emotions to speak. He just held her as she burst into tears, her friends close to her and the two knew that they weren't alone. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about the spare room where Hiei was staring at the sobbing woman that was curled up into a ball on the floor of the bath room. She looked pathetic. Weak. Lost. Broken. Her eyes were beginning to become red and bloodshot and her cries seemed so empty without sound. Had he believed that he had a heart, he probably would have found this situation painful to watch; instead he looked on with the only thought of how broken she looked running through his head. That, along with how pathetically weak she was to break down over that man appearing. Then again, he got angered because of the lies he had told, attempting to take the woman away from their protection. He sighed, moving towards the bed and watching her sob into the pillows. At that moment, he realized how young she looked. As though she were still merely a child as she laid tummy down on the bed, face buried in the pillows and crying so hard that her whole body was shaking.

He just couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Since something compelled him to stay, he sat on the edge of the bed, his crimson eyes overlooking her deplorable form as she released silent wails. He frowned. Was it normal for a woman to cry this much? His sister rarely cried, he realized now, but Keiko often cried over Yusuke. It was her love for him that made her cry, but this woman obviously did not love that man, so what made her cry like this? He just wasn't getting it. He could not understand. He watched as her body slowly stopped shaking and she repeatedly wiped at her tired and red eyes as she forced herself up. A silent sob ran through her and he frowned, feeling helpless for once in his life. She hid her face from him and crawled from the bed, darting into the wash room and slamming the door closed behind her as she locked herself in. Running the water from the sink, she splashed the water onto her face and frowned. This was too much for her. She would not be able to handle much more. She stripped and turned on the shower. She waited until it was just hot and jumped in, scrubbing furiously at her skin, wanting to destroy the feeling that she had of being filthy under his stare. The look in his eyes told her what he was thinking. The nights he held her down and took her. Stripped her of her clothes; her dignity; her control.

He was just another one Kuroichi threw at her. He was one of the regulars. She would have to let him do as he pleased or he was going to tell Kuroichi and she would be punished. She couldn't stand the punishments. They were painful, but even more so when you cannot scream or vent out the pain through some means. He would torture her. Hurt her. And she would have to take it all without so much as a sound or a tear. Sometimes she could do it. Other times, she would thrash about and cry. Even silent, he would punish her for that too. It was nothing that she enjoyed and that man being there, looking at her as though if she moved away and he had grabbed her he would tattle, made her want to do as he said just to avoid Kuroichi's wrath.

She shivered and her shoulders slumped. Turning off the water, she stepped out and dried herself, knowing that the fire demon disliked her forgetting to dry herself off after she showered. Stepping out, she kept her gaze glued to the floor as she padded over to the bed and plopped down on her side, staring at the wall without a hint of emotion in her body language. She hid her eyes by closing them, feeling the fire demon move behind her and felt as though he were watching her. She laid there and contained herself, keeping her breathing even and laid stock still. Even Hiei was disturbed by her actions, never really sleeping in the same bed as her when she was distraught like this. He sighed and laid down next to her, arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. He wondered what Koenma was going to do about this whole thing with that disgusting excuse of a demon, Kuroichi. His thoughts flitted between sleep and the female besides him who refused to look at him. He could tell she was crying, but he wasn't going to lend a shoulder. She was weak. He wasn't.

Those who are strong don't become a crutch for the weak.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Hello Guys~!

I have to thank each and every one of you for sticking out the wait. Between work, school and trying to move out, I found myself losing time on this so here is eleven. It's shorter than the other chapters methinks, but I am definitely back to writing and am working on 12 as I speak.

Also...To my newest reviewers: THANK YOU! You have brightened my mood from just today alone. :D I've got a flood of reviews in my email today that just made me smile. Thank you thank you thank you!

* * *

**Eleven**

Kiyomi has refused to communicate since that day. Keiko tried to coax her into writing something, but to no avail. It's been three months now since she had come to live under her and Yusuke's roof and merely two weeks ago is when Hoshi, Takeshi appeared and Kiyomi had been traumatized ever since it seems. Keiko blamed herself, knowing that Hiei's glaring had definitely been towards her letting Takeshi in. Yusuke tried to explain that she didn't know. Hiei barely saw the couple anymore. Keiko was either in their bedroom, the kitchen or out; Yusuke at his ramen stand or at Koenma's. Hell, the fire apparition saw more of Kurama than the two lovebirds now. Speaking of the fox, he was sitting on that damn loveseat, tapping a finger against his chin now as he contemplated what Keiko had said earlier that morning when Hiei attempted to push the idiotic onna out of their bed. She just laid there like a broken machine. She would not get up and she barely came out. He had to order her to come out and he wanted to keep from talking to the stupid girl as much as possible.

"Well…" Kurama sighed, breaking Hiei from his brooding thoughts, "This has become a case, hasn't it?"

"Hn."

Although he would never admit it, Hiei was somewhat glad for the mission. He had long since found a reason to move forth in life other than protecting Yukina, but even then it was an unnecessary duty. Kuwabara, no matter how much he hated the buffoon, was doing a fine job keeping her safe and happy. He just wished that Yukina had made a better choice than that idiot, but to each their own. He grunted again, watching Kurama turn his head, eyeing the corridor that lead to the room he shared with the onna. He refused to bother with the weakling. If she did not want to get up then he would not force it. She was only his problem to watch over, not baby. His crimson eyes locked back onto Kurama as the fox demon sighed.

"She really has not been communicating, Hiei?"

The fire demon rolled his eyes, turning to glance at Kurama in his peripheral vision, "No."

The fox demon nodded at his companion's response, confused.

"Hn. She refuses to get up, fox. Don't waste your time. I'm not."

Kurama stood, emerald green eyes widening before he turned, briskly walking to the door which he knew held the grieving female. He hesitated, wondering if he should knock before he sighed and turned the knob, poking his head in as he opened the door. He saw the motionless form on the bed and frowned. She was so still and silent that it unnerved him. Opening the door completely and stepping in, his eyes widened considerably when he saw that she was naked. She must have sensed that he was not Hiei because she jerked into a sitting position and stared, eyes wide at the door. She calmed when she saw it was only Kurama and he averted his gaze, his cheeks becoming red with embarrassment.

"Kiyomi..." he began, strain evident in his voice as he tried to speak, "Why don't you get dressed and come out here with Hiei and me?"

She stared at him blankly before turning towards the wall and plopping back down on the bed, her body stilling. He sighed, watching her again before averting his eyes once more, a blush prominent on his cheeks. A grunt was heard from behind him and he turned, seeing Hiei there. He rolled his crimson eyes at him before stalking into the room. Kurama was intent on this female getting up, so he would make her, whether she liked it or not. He was tired of everyone asking him how she was.

"Onna." He grunted, standing in her line of sight, "Sit up."

Silently and quickly, Kiyomi's body seemed to spring to life. She sat up on the bed, legs dangling off the edge. Kurama's eyes widened.

"Up. Dress. Living room. Now." He grunted before turning towards the fox, watching his reaction as the female nodded and stood, her naked body fully exposed as she moved towards the closet to put on clothes. Hiei rolled his crimson eyes before walking out, Kurama following him.

"Hiei?" Kurama asked, the unspoken question on his lips.

"Hn. Don't concern yourself, fox. You wanted her up didn't you?" the fire demon grumbled, taking a seat on the window sill as the sound of the door opening. Kurama turned and found Kiyomi emerging, her eyes pink and slightly puffy from tears being shed.

"Hello Kiyomi." Kurama greeted, smiling politely, forcing the image of her naked from his mind, "How are you?"

The woman shrugged. How the hell did she look?

"Hn." Hiei grunted, a smirk forming upon his lips at her thought.

"Well, please, sit down." Kurama said, a hand gesturing towards the love seat.

The demoness ignored his chivalry, finding her recliner and sitting upon it. She brought her baggy jean clad legs up, resting her chin on her knees as she wrapped her arms around her legs. Kurama glanced to Hiei, emerald eyes pinning the fire demon where he stood.

"Kiyomi…" the fox demon tried, "why don't I make you something to eat?"

He glanced to her, watching her grey, dull eyes look to Hiei. He gave a jerk of his chin that was barely noticeable, and she nodded, turning her gaze to the floor once more. Emerald eyes narrowed before he turned and gracefully made his way to the kitchen. Hiei followed, glaring at the spirit fox as he leaned against the wall. Kurama turned and looked at him, very miffed.

"Hiei. You have that girl on a leash?" Kurama hissed, almost sinisterly.

"Hn." Grunted the fire demon, "She refused to move any other way and you wanted her to. She listens when I give it like an order."

"Hiei!" Kurama snapped, making the fire demon's eyes shoot open and stare at his friend, shocked, "You cannot do that! She will not grow out of this slave mentality she has if you order her around!"

"Hn."

"Hiei." Warned Kurama, "Do not make me have to go to Koenma about this. You know he will not allow you to use this girl like that."

The fire demon snarled.

"You dare threaten me, fox?"

"I'm warning you that the consequences of destroying this girl will be tremendous, Hiei."

"Hn."

"And further more- Oh! Kiyomi, what are you doing up? Are you all right?"

Hiei turned to see the woman. She stared at Kurama and then turned her gaze to Hiei. He saw a spark of something in her eyes and couldn't make out what it was. She stepped forward, coming to him as Kurama watched. She gripped his arm, tugging gently at the sleeve, wanting his attention. Looking down at the girl, he quirked a brow. She lifted her hand, pointing to the refrigerator then made a motion for a drink. He scoffed, turning to the cooling machine and opened it, looking over his shoulder at her. She came over, Kurama watching the interaction very closely, as she looked in it and smiled as Hiei handed her a bottle of water. She stood and moved away as he closed the door and tilted her head, curiously, at the second handle. Pulling on it, Hiei barely managed to dodge the freezer door swinging open. He glared at her, but ended up rolling his eyes as she looked inside of it. Looking to him, she pointed at the opening, silently inquiring what it was.

"Freezer." Hiei scoffed, glaring at her, "Watch what you're doing. You almost hit me."

Her eyes widened and her lips moved in a silent apology.

"Hn." Was all she got in return.

She glanced at it and squinted. A bright colored box caught her eyes and she pulled it out before closing the door. She opened the container, glancing at Hiei's back as he stalked over to Kurama who was whispering fervently in his ear. She dipped her finger in, shivering at the cold as she pulled it out. Her finger was coated in a thin layer of the container's contents and she sniffed it before shrugging and sticking her finger in her mouth and sucking on the layer. She gasped, looking down at the frozen temptation before turning and tugging on Hiei's sleeve once more. He grunted, turning to glare at her. She held up the open container, a smile on her face as she pointed to it three times. Kurama moved, trying to glance down at the small girl. Hiei, just wanting the female to leave him alone, rolled his eyes put stuck his finger into the cold substance. He watched her do the same and lick it. He arched a brow. He had no desire for the human's dessert foods, whatsoever. Again, she did it and he growled, irritated before shoving his finger into his mouth.

That was when he developed a quick sweet tooth.

Crimson eyes widened and Kiyomi did not know whether or not he was appalled or excited. He took his finger from his mouth, glancing down at the carton in her hands before turning abruptly to Kurama and pointing to the carton. Kurama's brow's furrowed as Hiei asked what it was and Kiyomi came to stand next to him, silently pleading to know the same thing. He answered, causing Hiei to snort.

"Ice cream?" he said, rolling his crimson eyes, "Such a stupid name. It's not ice."

Kiyomi tugged on his sleeve again, pointing to a picture Keiko had in the kitchen of her and Yusuke as kids playing in the snow. He looked down at her as she then pointed to the carton.

"Snow." He said, reading her actions clearly, "Hn. The onna has a better idea of its name. I'd call it snow, too. Sweet snow."

Kiyomi nodded and grinned.

"Well, Hiei, humans call it ice cream, but you can call it what you want. It seems that you and Kiyomi have never had it before."

Hiei glared. Kiyomi nodded excitedly, causing Kurama's dreary mood to lighten as he chuckled at her.

"Well, there's no shortage, I promise."

"Hn." Hiei said, turning and scrounging around for two spoons before coming back and dipping one into the sweet snow, tasting it and handing the other spoon to the stupid onna, "So, I can have this whenever I want?"

"Yes, if you buy it of course." Kurama supplied, watching the two share a carton of ice cream.

"Hn." Hiei grunted, taking a bigger spoonful of the tasty treat and shoving it in his mouth before cringing with a deathly hiss, "Ack! What is that?"

Kurama began to outright laugh. It might have been a bit vindictive, but he was enjoying Hiei's slight pain.

"It's called a brain freeze, Hiei. It occurs when something freezing cold touches the roof of your mouth and it sends a signal to your brain causing the pain. Just touch your tongue to the top of your mouth and it should go away, shortly."

The fire demon did just that, not saying a word before he began to dig into the carton again. He glared as Kiyomi took some bites, becoming obsessive with the treat. Kurama noticed this and couldn't help but to laugh. Turning his glare to the fox demon, he growled, spoon in his mouth as he ball his hands into fists.

"What's so funny fox?"

"N-nothing." Kurama replied stifling his laughter still, "Nothing at all, Hiei."

Hiei grunted and turned away, moving to sit at the table, Kiyomi following behind him, gleefully. They sat in silent and munched on the whole container until it was finished. Kiyomi frowned at the empty carton and took it, and the two spoons, away. She padded over to the garbage can and let the carton slip from her fingers before turning to the sink and moving towards it. She started the water and adjusted it to the right temperature until she was content, proceeding to wash them and place them in the drying rack besides the sink. She ambled back over to the two, seeing them in hushed conversation, Kurama looking distraught once more. Hiei, seemingly still content from the treat he had, ignored the fox demon and stood, rolling his crimson eyes before grunting and moving away, into the living room.

Much to Kurama's displeasure, the mute female followed the fire demon out to the main room. As Hiei took his usual spot upon the window sill, Kiyomi drifted to the recliner. Kurama sat on the loveseat directly in front of her, his back to Hiei. He wanted to know how far this habit of hers was embedded and he even had high hopes when she had sat on the recliner instead of moving to sit under the windowsill like he had originally thought. Watching her, he watched her lean over the arms of the recliner, her small hand slipping beneath the cushioned chair and disappearing from his sight. Quirking a curious brow, the fox demon watched as she pulled out a black, hard covered book with a wired spine and sat back in the chair, squirming until she was comfortable. Flipping through the pages, she pulled a pencil out from the spiral spine and put it to the paper. He smiled; glad to find out the lessons he had given her were not going to waste. He watched her scribble for a while before he frowned, realizing what her focus was on.

He face palmed. What was it about Hiei that made her so obsessed? Could she have a complex? Rescue Romance, perhaps? He ran his hand down his face, exasperated before looking back at Kiyomi, watching her silver eyes find the content, and apparently oblivious, fire demon again and again. He sighed, irritated with the development of her attachments, knowing that Hiei was not about to discuss anything else with him, he just observed her. The sounds of a lock clicking caught his attention. Glancing to the door, Kurama smiled as he greeted Keiko, surprising the brunette. She smiled and greeted him in return, hesitant to greet Kiyomi. The demoness glanced up at the human female she had become fond of and hesitantly waved a greeting before ducking behind her sketch pad once more, determined to finish her work. Keiko smiled. She would take what she could for now. She ambled into the kitchen, Kurama soon on her heels and he assisted her in helping her put away groceries. He began idle chit chat with the brunette, hoping to learn of the extent to which Kiyomi and Hiei's relationship had gone. When he brought it up Keiko shook her head.

"Hiei's been great with her. He seems to always know what she wants and even what she needs. He's doing a great job taking care of her."  
She noticed Kurama's face contort in confusion.

"Why?"

He sighed as he helped her to sit down and he followed suit.

"Between you and me," he began, "I think Hiei might be unintentionally taking advantage of her."

Chocolate brown eyes widened.

"Why do you think that, Kurama?"

"Kiyomi was in a service, remember? Well, I think she was brought up with a slave mentality and Hiei isn't helping her escape it. Instead, he helps it progress, giving her commands and such. It's not healthy for her." The fox supplied, confiding in the woman, "I'm worried about what it could lead to."

Keiko gawked. She knew that Hiei wasn't one to enjoy others and knew that he originally wanted to take over the human world until Yusuke caught him, but she didn't think he would stoop that low. She could hear Kiyomi before she saw her. The soft padding of her feet had given her away. Keiko turned, smiling as she entered the kitchen and she waved to the demoness as she looked around, frantically it seemed, for something. In her right hand, Kiyomi held her pencil which had a broken tip and Keiko stood, fetching the sharpener she had in a drawer. She brought it to the girl, smiling as Kiyomi took it tentatively before darting back into the living room. She sat down, relieved and chuckling softly as she returned her attention to Kurama.

"She seems to practice a lot, hmm?" he asked, still staring at the doorway.

"Practice? Oh, Kurama." Keiko laughed softly, "She's not writing. She's drawing."

Red eyebrows disappeared into his hair.

"What?"

"She has a knack for it…" She said, glancing over her shoulder and leaning over the table to whisper to him, praying neither Hiei nor Kiyomi heard her, "She has a lot of drawings of Hiei that he'd kill to burn if he knew about them."

Kurama blinked. Hiei would kill over these pictures?

"There's a few," Keiko began in her hushed whisper, cheeks flushing scarlet, "of him mostly naked."

His mind flew into rewind; to the time Hiei came to him about sleeping with the demoness and how he had disappeared quickly after. He cringed, a sudden image of Hiei, nude, mingled in the sheets, tangled with the vivid image of a naked Kiyomi. He held back a shudder and looked up at Keiko.

"She even draws him sitting there at that window. It's shocking, to say the least. She has some talent, Kurama. I feel bad that she can't speak. Something tells me she'd be a great singer."

Voices could be heard from the living room. The two stood, quickly exiting to the living room where Botan and Koenma had appeared. Hiei was crouched in front of a distraught Kiyomi, glaring. Keiko rushed to the demoness' side and frowned at her. Kiyomi's eyes were teared up and glassy. She leaned forward, rubbing her sore bottom and arms as she looked up at Hiei, watching his back straighten.

"I am so sorry!" Botan's voice exclaimed, looking like she just ran over a puppy, "I swear I didn't mean to scare you, Kiyomi!"

Hiei rolled his crimson eyes and looked down at the demoness. She seemed to be in a bit of discomfort but not a lot of pain. He moved from her and was about to move back to his spot on the window sill when Kiyomi's body flew to cover that pad she had been scribbling upon. He turned to look down at her as she quickly covered up the pad with her body and closed it before straightening and getting to her feet. He arched a brow, eyes locking onto the hard covered black book she held tightly to her chest. Kurama, on the other hand, was biting his thumb. He suppressed a chuckle and turned his attention to Koenma.

"To what do we owe this visit Koenma?"

"Glad you asked Kurama," The Spirit World prince began as he cleared his throat, "We have finally got some information on this demon."

From the corner of his eye, Kurama saw the demoness cringe.

"As well as some information on our dear demoness here." Koenma continued, turning to look at Kiyomi, "Although, I doubt she'd find it news."

Confused stares met him and he sighed.

"Before we start though, we must go to Genkai's. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Genkai are all awaiting for our arrival."


	12. Chapter Twelve

Hey ya'll~!  
Short Chapter today! But once you read it you'll understand why! :)

* * *

**Twelve**

He sat up and wiped the sweat from his brow from his routinely workout. Dark grey eyes flickered around the small room before he stood, his tall frame ambling towards the shower he desperately wished for. His thoughts whirled back to that night, a month or more ago, when he lost the height of his business. He was a rich business man in the Human Realm and could live comfortably for the next three hundred years if he so desired. However, he found himself thinking, thinking, and thinking. He wanted to know where the only demon he owned had gone to and just why she hadn't returned. He knew that she was too scared to defy him; therefore someone must be holding her hostage.

His thoughts had led him to a dear old human acquaintance, who was a regular customer for him. Then, after originally questioning him, he felt a spark of her energy. He tracked it all the way to Spirit World where he was able to see her. She had the audacity to wear clothes and in his presence?! He made sure she remembered who had control and just what he does to those who get in his way. Since then, however, he has yet to feel her and it put him in a terrible mood often. His only solace was found in his deranged thoughts which showed the various things he could do to that demon once she was at his mercy again. Terrible, bloody ideas wracked his brain and he found himself thinking about it in his time of distress and worry. Taking his anger out on the woman was the best relief he could ever ask for and he needed to take a lot out on her as of late.

He then received a call a few hours ago about how Takeshi had found the demon and where she was hiding. She was in the care of Koenma's agents, spirit world's finest, so he was told, and that Takeshi was arrested. He smirked when he heard that his name was given but it did not worry him. In the human world he was known as either Master without the name or as Hotoro Jenkins, C.E.O of some restaurant chain. A modest position and completely irrelevant to the underground job he held as Horo, a shortened version of his disguised name. Now, though, as he knew the whereabouts of his favorite toy, he was anxious to teach her a lesson. He learned of the detectives within a week, knowing where they lived, how they acted and even when they were on missions. Apparently, capturing him and protecting his toy from him was their current mission.

One he was determined to make them fail.

As the wheels turned, he called up his informant, a demon trained in the shinobi ways, to let him in on his little plan, cackling loudly as the demon added input on how easily it would be to give them the worse mental psych out they could ever have and was immediately instructed to begin. As he hung up, Kuroichi stood and headed down towards the basement he had, rubbing his hands together as his magenta eyes fell upon the many instruments he had stored here and tossed his bangs from his face as he set to work, transforming the basement into what would soon be a dungeon.

The perfect place to construct that whore's worse nightmares and fears into reality.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Hey guys~! Sorry about this taking forever. I just withdrew from school and am trying to transfer, as well as earn enough money to get by with my bills.  
Anyway, This chapter wasn't as long as I wanted it to be. At all. So, I'm really disappointed with it, but of course, it's all about what you guys think.  
Please, I beg of you guys, to review.  
It'll help me out greatly.**

* * *

**Thirteen**

The information on Kuroichi, the disgusting excuse for a demon, was limited. They only knew that he was a demon who began to trouble the three worlds when he was a young fledgling and had disappeared off the radar before he reached maturity. A picture of him when he was younger graced the wall, letting the detectives know just who they were keeping an eye out for. To make sure that this was indeed the demon, Koenma turned to the demoness who sat in the corner and motioned towards the picture, catching her attention for the first time this whole meeting.

"Kiyomi? Is this the same demon that held you captive?"

Glancing up at the picture on that screen, she froze. Magenta eyes caught her own and silver eyes darted away. She knew those eyes. Those pink eyes that commanded authority and demanded her obedience stared at her from the picture and she bowed her head. She shuddered as she thought about the pain in her neck and jumped when the question was repeated. Keeping her silver eyes averted from them, she nodded. Those threatening magenta eyes that challenged her; daring her to make the wrong move and anger him, just so that he could make an example out of her. Taking her nod as the yes it was meant to be, Koenma turned his attention back to the group.

"I've found out what I could about this demon. His name is Kuroichi Konran. He's a demon of unknown origin that has gone under the radar for years. The last documented thing we have on him is that he had a run in with Spirit World years ago because he was around the SDF when they were containing a riot in the Makai. He was caught in the middle of a fight and then fled, but the SDF do remember him."

Yusuke scoffed, "The tool brigade is cooperating with you now?"

"Yes, Yusuke." Koenma responded, "They do not particularly like it, but due to the fact that you have helped us with various missions, and saved all three worlds, my father has placed them under my command."

The Spirit Detective scoffed.

"Anyway, that's pretty much all we have on him. No idea what kind of demon he is, but we classify him as a danger to both demons and humans. What we know off hand is that he is the leader of the prostitution ring that Kiyomi was a part of. Either way, since he is a demon in the human world with terrible intentions, he is to be captured before he can hurt another human female."

Everyone nodded, aside from Kiyomi who was frowning at her knees.

"What I do want you boys to do, is infiltrate his newest hideout."

The uproar began.

"You want us," Yusuke growled menacingly, "to be his newest clients?"

Sighing, Koenma nodded.

"Yes and no. I want you each to act like his clients and I will supply you all with debit cards with enough money to sustain anything. Pretty much they're no limit cards. You need to get in and gain his trust."

"Wait!" Keiko shouted, "You mean they have to sleep with them?!"

"They won't have to sleep with them, but they might have to buy some time for some of the girls to act like normal clients." He continued, "I'm not going to make them sleep with random women, Keiko."

Even so, the group seemed uneasy. Kiyomi, having enough with this stood up. Apparently, that sparked an idea in the orange haired buffoon whom she knew as Kazuma Kuwabara.

"WAIT! Since Kiyomi was under his command, wouldn't she be able to help us with that?"

The sound demon froze as eyes moved to stare at her. She looked at Kuwabara, silver eyes wide with shock before she started to shake her head. It was a short shake at first but soon escalated to a furious shake that made her look as though she were going to shake her head off. That was not something she would be able to do.

"Why are you saying no?" Yusuke asked, "Wouldn't it be easy for you to go back? I mean he took his time to find out you were in spirit world. He has got to want you back."

_No…_ she thought, backing up from the group like a trapped animal, _No…Not unless I want to die. Master will not let me come back without a price._

She would have written her thoughts down but her notepad lay discarded on the floor near the group. She continued to shake her head, tears beginning to lash at her eyes as she thought about the damage to be done if they forced her to return. Her heart rate accelerated and she shook before finally pivoting on her heel and fleeing from the room. Various voices sound behind her as she ran, but she ignored them as tears lashed at her eyes. She ran and ran until she couldn't anymore. Collapsing against a tree, she tried to breathe. Tears splashed down her cheeks as she attempted to stand, not wanting to be stuck at one spot too long. She looked out towards the horizon and gasped as she saw a beautiful beach. She tentatively took a few steps towards it as she took in the beauty, her eyes tearing up more.

Being locked up almost all of her life, she had forgotten the beauty of the world around her. She could not remember her own place of birth, either, but she could not remember such a beauty in her life before. She ambled forth and down to the edge of the water before removing the flip flops she wore and rolling up her pant legs. Stepping into the waters, she shivered, surprised at the cold, before moving so that she was knee deep in the waters. The lapping waters felt cool and calmed her as she watched the waves roll in and splash against her, spotting her rolled jeans with some droplets of the salty liquid. Tears sprang forth and rolled down her cheeks. Inside, she was a wave of confusion and anxiety. She refused to return to Master Kuroichi's without his forgiveness and knew that it would take a long, long time to ever achieve that. She was a mess.

* * *

"Damnit!" Yusuke spat, walking back in behind Kurama, "She's long gone."

Koenma sighed. Rubbing his face to relieve himself of the irksome throb in his temple, he looked at his Spirit Detective and frowned before turning to the picture of Kuroichi.

"I don't get it." Kuwabara said, "Why'd she run off like that?"

"I think…" Yukina began, "That she's scared, Kazuma. You're asking her to go back to the one who hurt her…It's like asking me to go back to Tarukane.."

His beady black eyes widened as color drained from his face.

"You asked her to go back to her capture and undoubtedly, her torturer, Kuwabara," Kurama finished, "She's scared that we might have agreed…I'm ashamed to say I did."

"I did too..." Yusuke grunted.

"It sounded like a good idea," Koenma supplied, "Even I thought that. We forgot to think about how she'd feel about it. Despite being in that line of work for such a long time, she's still a demon…And she still feels."

The room went quiet as he finished and Kuwabara covered his face with his hands. Turning, he whispered his apologies to Yukina, knowing that her torture still plagued her at times too. Yusuke moved to Keiko, thankful that his woman never suffered physically, but knew that through everything they suffered the past four years, she had taken quite a toll emotionally. The biggest one was the dark tournament and then after she waited for him for three years. The room was silent for a few minutes before Shizuru stood and stretched, pulling a cigarette out from her pocket along with a lighter. Turning, she glanced at her friends and scoffed.

"Quit looking like someone killed your cats." She said, cigarette between her lips as she slid the door open, "The kid can't go too far. I'm sure Hiei's found her all ready."

Everyone turned and for the first time realized that their shorter companion had disappeared. As Shizuru exited to smoke her cigarette, the friends stood, bidding their farewells as they departed for their homes.

* * *

She sat upon the shore with the only sound being the crashing waves, the beauty of it taking hold of her. She was so entranced that she didn't hear the footsteps that fell behind her, walking up at a brisk pace. She turned her head as black cloth flashed in the corner of her eye and glancing up, her silver eyes met crimson. He said nothing as he turned his head, staring out to the ocean as they stayed there. He did not care for the frivolous feelings of the onna, but Yukina's words hit him deep. If it had been Yukina, would he still have thought the buffoon came up with a great idea? No, he wouldn't. He knew that it shouldn't make sense, but for a split second, he felt protective of the demoness as though she held the same importance to him as Yukina. His hands were hidden by his cloak and as he stared out to the horizon, his nails dug into his palms as he clenched his hands into fists. He felt a weird sensation, as though he should say something to the girl.

"Hn." Came his awful start, "We're not making you."

The demoness jerked, turning to look at the fire demon with wide eyes before looking down at her folded hands which pulled her knees to her chest. A nod gave him confirmation that she understood him and releasing his clenched fists, he reached into one of his inner cloak pockets and pulled out her notepad and pen. He crouched and placed it besides her before turning from her and walking back towards the trees. Picking up the pad and pen, she forced herself to stand and with one last look out to the ocean, she pivoted and fled towards the fire demon, wanting to not be left alone.

A hand gripped his cloak at his back and he did not need to turn to know whose it was. He has been out here staring at the ocean for what feels like days, but it was only about an hour. The calming of the ocean was something one could get lost in. not wanting to waste time or take too long, seeing as the sun was setting, he reached his arm out to the side and glanced at Kiyomi. She smiled and moved under his arm to press herself against him and braced herself for the speedy run he would undoubtedly transport her with. They made it to Yusuke's within the half hour and without a word, Kiyomi quickly changes for bed and lays down, eyes locked on the window as she stared at the darkness. As she drifted to sleep, the bed dipped and a warmth slid in next to her. With a yawn, her eyes drifted shut as she controlled her breathing and fell into a simple slumber, tinged with a sense of something unsettling.

* * *

As the occupants of the city began to lay down to sleep, the dense dark clouds swell and begin to release. A light rain falls as sirens break through the silence of the night. Lights flash as emergency vehicles speed down the near empty streets and arrive on the scene of a large home on fire. The call came in from a pedestrian who was able to make out the smoke in the darkness. As they fought to stop the fire, their efforts became useless as the soft pitter patter of the rain became a downpour that easily put out the fire. As the firemen worked, attempting to find any survivors, they merely come across a list of emergency contacts in the half destroy kitchen and give the first name a call.

A groggy voice answered. Quickly, the got the person's attention and explained that there was a fire, gave the address and asked if anyone was supposed to be here at this home for the night. Instead of an answer, on the line he heard shouting and soon, the voice returned saying that they were on their way.

Then, the line went dead.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**A/n;**

**To those of you readers still with me, I thank you so much for your patience. Really I do! Let me give you the 4-1-1 on Mizuki-chan's life, ne?  
Whelp, basically it started with me moving in with a friend to be closer to school. Said friend was married to the other friend and well they broke up. Now, the other friend wants to give up the house, meaning between starting a new college (and failing miserably) and trying to find a new job, I have to move _again_~! Now, I'm in the process of moving back in with my mother. However, it isn't just me this time. **

**Guys~! I GOT ENGAGED ON CHRISTMAS EVE~!**

So, now its going to be.. Me, my fiance, my mother and father, my grandma and grandpa, my little brother and soon my uncle living all under one roof with two (possibly three?) dogs and one cat (my baby).  
So yeah...Hectic crap. . I tried to make this as long as possible before I felt the need to cut it short. Kiyomi's character will be played out more in upcoming chapters. :3 I hope you all enjoy~!

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**Fourteen**

She awoke to banging.

That; and she fell off the bed.

The banging forced him to wake up. He jumped up and out of bed, half disoriented. Focusing on the door, he grabbed his katana from the side of the bed and pulled the door open, ready to defend himself. The door swung open, revealing a disheveled Yusuke and a half asleep Keiko. Kiyomi rubbed her silver eyes as she got on her knees, peeking over the side of the bed to see what was going on. Her brows furrowed in confusion before blinking and tilting her head to the side confused. Hiei glared at the Spirit Detective, irritated that he was disrupting his sleep.

"Get dressed…Genkai's temple was on fire and she's nowhere to be found."

Hiei scoffed.

"You're freaking out because your mentor wasn't home when something caught fire?"

"That's not it. Kuwabara stayed with her and they're both missing. I called Shizuru and Kurama. Everyone's going to meet up there. We need to go now."

Kiyomi yawned as she stood, stretching before getting hit in the face with a dark cloth. Shivering, she clutched the fabric and glanced over to the door way, finding Hiei glaring at her. Glancing down at herself, she realized that she was indeed naked and ducked down to hide herself as she fixed the cloak onto herself.

"And Yukina?" Hiei asked, glaring over his shoulder at Kiyomi once more before turning his attention to the detective.

"She stayed with Shizuru, waiting for Kuwabara to come back. She's going too."

Nodding, he grunted and closed the door. He heard Yusuke's faint grunt to hurry up as he turned towards the bathroom. He needed to wake up and change. He tossed his katana over to the side, letting it fall to the ground as he turned on the faucet. Cold water splashed in the sink and he cupped it in his hand, splashing it against his face. Small, gentle hands touched his arm. Looking over, he grunted as the demoness handed him a small towel. The cloak wasn't flattering on her, he first noticed as he padded his wet face dry. It took away her womanly curves, hiding them in a straight cut form that made her look bland and unattractive. He moved from the bathroom, towards the closet where he pulled out some clothes and walked back into the bathroom, handing the clothes to her. With a grateful smile, she placed them on the edge of the sink and stripped herself of the cloak, handing it to him. His crimson eyes wandered down her body for a moment before accepting the cloth and throwing it onto his shoulder. He pivoted from the room as she began to dress and fumbled around for a shirt. Slipping a navy blue muscle shirt on, he glanced towards the open bathroom and watched as the demoness pulled her baggy jeans up her toned, luscious legs and over her delectable behind, buttoning away her womanhood from his view. Exhaling, he wondered if the detective even noticed the naked woman who was standing next to the bed or not. Deciding he would deal with it later, he strapped his discarded katana to his hip and threw on his cloak, shielding the katana from view and awaited the onna to walk out from the bathroom.

She walked out with a small smile plastered her lips. She had taken a brush to her hair, making it even instead of a crazy poof ball of strands. Her hands held her dark grey beanie which matched the black tank top she wore along with her dark grey pants which hugged her hips, but bellowed out and looked loose. Her neck piece was in place and her feet were bare. Wrist bands adorned her wrists and as he moved towards the door, he couldn't help but think that despite the boyish look about her, the onna looked attractive. He opened the door and exited, slipping on his shoes as he left the room and wandered into the living room where a stressed out detective and a worried Keiko greeted them. The group filed into the car, despite Hiei's extreme distain for them, and it was like a bat out of hell. Yusuke sped the whole way, determined to get to the temple.

When they arrived, they got out the car and Kiyomi shuffled quickly to keep up with Yusuke and Keiko who were running up the long stairs, following the hoses that led up from the fire trucks to the front of the temple. Rain drizzled down after an hour or so of pelting the Earth and they met up with the others. Yukina saw the group first and waved them down. Her face caught Hiei's attention and he moved briskly towards her, catching Yusuke's attention. He followed, pulling Keiko along. They barely caught the conversation Shizuru and Kurama held with a few of the firemen before they saw them approaching.

"The hell happened?" Yusuke asked.

"Ah, I'm assuming you are the young man I spoke to, then?" the fireman inquired, recognizing the voice.

A curt nod was all he got.

"A call came in about two this morning. A pedestrian said he thought he saw black clouds rising in the forest. We thought it was a wildfire, but when we got here we immediately tried to stop it. Luckily, it didn't burn the whole place down before a hard rain put it out. We've looked around, trying to see if anyone was in there, but we found no one-"

"That's impossible." Yukina interrupted, crimson eyes glassy with oncoming tears, "Kazuma was here with Master Genkai."

Keiko moved and held Yukina's shoulders, trying to comfort the ice maiden.

"You didn't find anyone?" Kurama asked, glancing from Yukina to the firemen.

Shaking his head, the man responded, "No, Sir. No one is in there. We found this list and called the first name. A Mr. Yusuke Urameshi."

"Yeah." Yusuke grunted as Kurama took the list, "That's me. Didn't know Grandma had a list for this kind of thing."

"Genkai's a smart woman." Keiko said, "I'm glad she had the list. We might have never known about this until we came back...or worse."

The group went quiet for a moment. Hiei moved to stay close to his sister as she spoke to Keiko, trying to make sense of where Kuwabara was. Kiyomi shivered, turning to glance at the temple before moving forward and away from the group, towards the yellow tape that was wrapped around the house. Moving forth, something compelled her to step into the burned out side of the temple. The walls were scorched and black, the floor and walls weak and creaking. Her silver eyes fell upon the ash and cinders that coated her feet as she walked. She inhaled and could smell a mix of ash, burnt wood, smoke and a hint of something else. Her senses moved and expanded until she could feel everything moving around her. She closed her eyes and inhaled, just listening. She was concentrating on a sound, like an erratic heartbeat, from above until a sharp voice shook her from her concentration.

"HEY! Get out of there!"

The young woman jumped and spun around, her heart beat shooting upwards as fear seized her heart. She gulped and backed up as the man, clad in yellow and black gear stalked over to her. She moved back until someone called him back. Yusuke and Kurama were the first ones she saw round the corner with another man clad in an identical uniform. She turned and placed a hand over her heart before closing her eyes, trying to find that erratic heart beat again. Unable to locate it, she frowned and sighed, deflated. It was a sound she found quite different than other's heart beat here in the human world, so she knew it was a demon. The question was what demon? Her favorite companion moves to stand beside her, glaring at her questioningly as she frowned at the burned wall, hoping to hear the heart beat once more. Her skin prickled with goose bumps and a shiver ran through her body. She felt as though she were being watched and couldn't figure out if anyone was there. She reached out and grabbed onto Hiei's cloak, attempting to calm herself. He was a security blanket for her, and she knew better than to stray too far away. Disrupting her thoughts, the boys spoke with the men in strange uniforms until they couldn't anymore. Their questions were only half answered and they needed time to help the girl's cope with what has happened.

When they returned to the apartment, Koenma and Botan were waiting for them. Immediately, Botan moved to Yukina, giving the ice maiden a hug as she whispered reassuring things to her. Shizuru sat down quietly on a couch. The tension was thick and Kiyomi suddenly was reminded of a time when Master Kuroichi was about to fight a client. She shivered as blood began to appear in the vivid memory. Shaking her head to remove the dreadful image, she sighed and frowned. This wasn't good. Koenma started off by assuring them that Genkai nor Kuwabara perished in the fire. It was such a relief at first, but then they realized what this could mean. As Koenma delivered the grave news of not knowing where they were, Kiyomi felt her heart sink. Her skin prickled again, but she stayed unmoving as ideas were hashed about, attempting to figure out a way to find them. Some were obscene, some absurd, some downright great and others simply not making sense. The occupants of the room were tensed and worried, something foreign to Kiyomi as she listened.

Something unsettled her.

It wasn't something she could easily place, of course, but she knew that something felt off. That heartbeat was so erratic. It sounded nothing like a human's and nowhere close to being a demon like Hiei or Kurama. As she sat on her recliner, the thoughts of the heartbeat plagued her mind. She was quiet, deaf to the others talking in the room. She was curled up and simply stared at the occupants in the room. Like a living zombie, she just simply stared and did not move, barely blinking, as her mind flew with questions, worries and anxiety. What happened at the Temple earlier was at the forefront of her mind. When she finally returned to tuning into the world around her, she immediately recognized the smell of food. Blinking, she realized now that in her state, Kurama and Keiko had disappeared into the kitchen. Yukina, Shizuru, Koenma, Botan and Hiei were still in the room, but the conversations had died down. With a sigh, she stood and grabbed her sketch pad before turning and disappearing into the room. Hiei, noticing the onna move, watched as she shook her head, grabbed her pad and practically ran from the room. He rolled his crimson eyes, impartial to her retreat. He turned to look out the window again, keeping an eye on Yukina in the reflection of the window.

The ice maiden was distraught. It radiated off of her and shook him in his bones. As much as he hated to admit it, her sadness churned up the desire to look for the baka inside of him. He glared at his reflection for a moment before giving a silent, frustrated sigh. Yukina was too innocent to have this pain and he was sure to find the buffoon before he got himself into severe trouble. He glanced at her once more, watching her force a smile when Botan tried to make her laugh. He bit his bottom lip for a moment before closing his eyes and leaning against the window frame.

She has been staring up at the ceiling for what seemed like forever. Her silver orbs were dull and her body seemed lifeless as she just laid there, staring and silent. The sheets beneath her had long ago stopped being cold, warmed by her body heat. Her notepad was discarded on the top of the dresser by the doorway as she yawned. She didn't want to sleep, so she rubbed at her eyes, fighting it to the best of her ability. Unfortunately, her eyes closed and as she slipped into darkness, the erratic beat she heard earlier blaring in her ears.

* * *

The night came and went, the group stayed together for the night as they awaited a phone call or something from Kuwabara or Genkai. Botan left and checked in with Koenma often, only to come back empty handed. Yukina had fallen asleep on the couch, the floor littered with hiruseki stones that Kurama collected and tucked away for her protection. Keiko was curled on the loveseat, wrapped in Yusuke's arms and Shizuru was outside, smoking a cigarette. Kurama sat in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee when Kiyomi had appeared in the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.

"Good Morning Kiyomi." He began with a smile, "I hope you were able to sleep well?"  
With a shrug, the female sat in her usual chair, placing her pad and pen on the table. She tapped her fingers before rubbing her eyes and yawning again. Blinking hard, she forced herself up and moved to the fridge, yanking it open and grabbing a can of that caffeinated drink Yusuke had told her about a while ago. She popped the tab, put the aluminum can to her lips and took long gulps. Half the can was gone before she even returned to her seat. Kurama simply blinked, a bit stunned at the girl's behavior.  
"Is that a no, then?" he inquired.

Placing the half empty can on the table Kiyomi simply nodded, flipped open her notepad and doodled in the corner of the page, not bothering to look back up at the demon in front of her. She doodled, just like always, about what was on her mind. As the occupants slowly began to arise from their slumber, Kiyomi had decorated the margins of her page with the same picture over and over again. She knew that she was the only one who couldn't focus on the missing duo, but this heartbeat had her worried. She jumped as a hand gripped her shoulder and she slammed the book closed in her surprise, turning quickly to see whom it was. Crimson orbs met silver and she released the breath in which she had inhaled when he grabbed her. She gulped, turning back towards her notepad and fiddling with the pen in her hands, ignoring the odd stare from both Hiei and Kurama.

She tucked the notepad to her chest, her own heart slamming against her chest in quick pulses. Hiei's crimson eyes met with Kurama's emerald eyes and he couldn't place the question in the fox demon's eyes. As the demoness removed the notepad from the table and laid it on her lap, the others were settling in to wake themselves up. Once everyone was assembled and Shizuru came in from her cigarette, Yusuke rubbed his forehead.

"This is ridiculous. We've heard nothing."

Kiyomi stared at the note pad in her lap again.

"Yusuke," Kurama began, "I am positive that Koenma would have got back to us had they found anything on Genkai or Kuwabara's whereabouts."

"**Still!**" Yusuke roared, slamming his fist down on the table, "You would think that there would be a clue. _Anything_ to give us a lead at the temple!"

"Maybe…" Keiko spoke, laying a hand on Yusuke's fist, "Maybe that's why they burned the Temple? To get rid of the evidence?"

The group was quiet. Kiyomi was getting restless. She couldn't sit here and concentrate on the two missing humans while plagued by that sound. That quick beat. She concentrated on it until the conversations died down and she could no longer hear them. Her eyes glazed over before she closed them and attempted to remember what it was she heard.

* * *

The onna was silent as usual, but her actions were odd. She was jumpy and weary, hiding her notebook from everyone's eyes. He wanted to know what was in the notebook but before he could even attempt to snatch it from her, the detective began his rant. As the conversations grew about Genkai and Kuwabaka, the onna grew more…anxious? He could barely figure out why, however he knew that the onna was a strange one. She closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep or meditate. Her fingers clutched the notebook before she jumped in the air as Botan rushed in, greeting everyone cheerily, as she tried to brighten the mood. Her silver eyes darted around the room as the others stared at her, attempting to figure out why she was so surprised. Her hands clutched her notebook close to her chest as she attempted to control her breathing.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Kiyomi! I didn't mean to scare you, dear!" Botan apologized.

The apology fell upon deaf ears as Kiyomi brought her attention to the table in front of her. Her silence wasn't unusual, so the grim reaper didn't think anything of it before turning to Yusuke.

"Oh Yusuke, Koenma has yet received anything but it looks like there was a clue, but he doesn't want to send you all on a goose chase so he has Ayame checking into it. We're hoping it will turn out a serious lead and we can bring our friends home!"

Kiyomi cringed in the corner of Hiei's vision and he turned to glare at her. She was hiding something.

"Kiyomi?" Kurama began, catching everyone's attention before Yusuke could retort to Botan's news, "Is there something wrong?"

Silver orbs lifted to meet emerald. She visibly stiffened, her hands clutching the notebook tighter as the only thing she could think about pounded in her head. Her teeth nibbled on the skin of her luscious lips and Hiei began to grow a tad bit worried. He eyed the female before arching a brow. Her chest seemed to rise and fall a tad bit quicker as the eyes locked onto her.

"You seem…upset." He continued.

"Psh!" Yusuke interjected, "we all are, man!"

Kiyomi gulped.

"Kiyomi-chan…" Came Yukina's softly strained voice, "Are you okay?"

She nibbled on the skin of her lip once more before she moved, the note book falling with her hands to her lap again. Her head pounded with that steady beat. That beat was a plague. For once, she dropped the notebook on the table and rubbed her eyes a bit in irritation. Being without her abilities for so long, she could not understand the concentration on the strange sound she came across when they were at the burned down temple. She grabbed the notebook and turned towards her crimson eyed savior and opened it to the page. Crimson eyes fell upon the margins where there was a scribbled drawing of a heart, surrounded by lines which made it look like it had a sound of some kind emitting from it. He furrowed his brows in confusion and looked up at the onna. She pointed to the pictures then to her chest, her silver eyes wide and pleading with him to understand. Disinterested with the thoughts of others, he put a finger to her forehead and opened a link to the onna's mind. He was brought back to the burned temple, where he was standing beside her and as she looked around, he suddenly heard it. A beat. A heartbeat. Hearing it through her ears, he could tell it was a strange beat. Not slow like a demon's, but not steady like a human's. He was pulled from her mind by a hand touching his shoulder. Turning, he saw Kurama and glanced to the onna once more.

"Hn. There was someone there yesterday." He grunted.

"What are you talking about, Hiei?" Yusuke scoffed, "Where?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. Sometimes the detective's idiocy could rival Kuwabara's.

"At the Temple. The onna heard a sound. It was like a weird heartbeat."

Eyes scanned the two; most turning on Kiyomi.

"And you didn't say anything?!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"She cannot speak Yusuke." Kurama interrupted, trying to make his friend see reason.

"But she could have wrote it down!" he bristled in retort.

"Maybe she didn't know what it was." The redhead countered.

Kiyomi was silent as the conversation continued.

The group was confused as to what to think. Yukina watched the sound maiden, intently, wondering what else the mute demoness might be able to tell them. Shizuru rolled her eyes at Yusuke and Kurama's disagreement, finding Yusuke to be completely ridiculous that a mute demon would be able to tell them anything, especially one that doesn't seem to be able to even function properly. Keiko moved along with Botan, coming to stand near Yukina.

"Well, that sure is a clue." Botan said.

Keiko nodded in response, glancing towards the demoness.

"You know, it's strange that a demon like her can't even think on her own."

"Well, she was in captivity for a long time." Botan replied, "We don't even know how long she was treated like that."

Keiko fell silent. The desire to put blame was strong as Yusuke fell quiet. Out of all of them, this mute demon was able to give them the first real clue to find their missing friends and she didn't even give an inkling that she had it. The grim reaper besides her moved again towards the sound demon and put a hand on her shoulder. The girl jumped a bit and turned to her.

"Hey dear, are you okay?"

The demoness frowned and pointed to the sketch on her pad again.

"Hn. She is focused on the sound."

"A sound?!" roared Yusuke, "Our friends are missing and you're worried about a fucking **sound**?!"

Kiyomi covered her ears as they bickered back and forth, Hiei glaring at the detective.

"A sound of someone's heart beat." The fire demon hissed, "And if you want to find your friends, you will calm down. Now."

The Spirit Detective's breath hissed in and out of him between clenched teeth. The stupid kid could have been keeping it from them because she was in on it for all they knew. He clenched and unclenched his fists over and over again but as a gentle hand gripped his fist. To his side, he found Keiko looking up at him worriedly. His rage calmed for a moment before he looked back at his three eyed friend.  
"What kind of heart beat?" he grunted, unhappy with the current exchange.  
He turned to the girl and quirked a brow. He knew it was not a demon's and too quick to be a human's.  
"A strange one." He responded lamely, "It's not a demon's for sure. She doesn't believe it's human either. It's too fast."

"Tch!" scoffed the Detective, "Then what the hell is it?"

Kurama examined the room and looked between Hiei and the demoness who was his charge. The way she stared at the picture meant that she really couldn't tell what sound it was, just that it was a heartbeat.

"Wait…" Yukina began, "How is she sure it was a heartbeat, Hiei-kun?"

Hiei stopped and turned towards his innocent sibling, glancing to Kiyomi for a second he closed his eyes in an irritated fashion and sighed.

"The way it sounds. It sounds just like a heartbeat, just different. Faster. Like a trapped animal."

Yusuke grunted and rolled his eyes. This was getting them nowhere!

"So maybe there was a frickin' bird there, Hiei! Who the fuck knows?!"

"She felt watched." Hiei stated, turning his icy glare upon the detective, "She heard it after feeling watched. Someone was there. She may be useless but she's still a demon. Our senses don't just disappear. Or did you forget that?"

The harsh reality of Hiei's words only infuriated the Mazoku further.

"Well I hate to be the bearer of bad, and obvious, news Hiei but the kid can barely function on her own. The real question is, did you hear it?" Shizuru finally piped up, arching a thin brown brow at the fire demon.

A curt nod was her response.

"Well then," Kurama said, accepting what his fiery companion told them, "What was this lead, Botan?"


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Hey Guys~! Chapter Fifteen is up! I finally had some time to get this baby a-rollin' and I'm so glad that I did. Kiyomi and Hiei's relationship is becoming much different from what I had originally planned but I think I like this new direction. It bring more out of Hiei and the Yu Yu group rather than Kiyomi being le' star. Haha. **

**Please Review~! Any and all critiques are welcomed~! **

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**Fifteen**

The mansion was quiet as they walked into it, Kiyomi clinging to Hiei's cloak so tight her knuckles were turning white. Her Silver eyes darted around, taking in parts of the mansion she remembered as they wandered around, up the long and high stair well to the second floor. As Yusuke flung open the large doors, the young sound demon cringed, recognizing the area as if she was bring brought there again for the first time. Ornate designed furniture and railings caught her eyes and she clung to Hiei's form closer as they followed the blue haired Spirit Guide up the stairs to the second floor.

And Kiyomi couldn't hold back the tears.

It had been so long since she had seen this place. The doors and corridors she spent years roaming about and getting used to. The rooms where she began her life here in the human realm at such a young age and at such a demeaning cost she could never understand. She was grateful for it. The care and the clothes; the shelter and the food. For all of that she was grateful for the longest time. Even when she began to mature and become a woman, taking on the role of her Master's concubine, she had been grateful. It was when he began to change and desire more wealth that she had become fearful of him and then she was tossed to the side and made into a common whore.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she turned, pushing her face into Hiei's arm, attempting to hide herself from her own memories. Her own emotions of loneliness, grief and betrayal. Silently she shook and let the tears fall as they moved, reaching the gold ornate, yet cliché, doors of her Master's suite. She shook with not only fear but emotions far beyond her young comprehension.

Yusuke opened the doors.

The onna was acting as though they were going to hand her over. As if she wasn't under their protection and they were going to throw her to Kuroichi like cash for the prize of their friends. As if she was going to be sent back to her own personal hell which she barely has escaped.

_Actually, _he thought, _she hasn't escaped it. Not yet. _

Despite his cold exterior, Hiei began to drift into his own thoughts of self-worthlessness. The times he felt as though he was nothing if he wasn't fighting every second of every day; the times where not having blood stained hands was a sign of a weak demon who could only be fresh meat for others to take. He remembered them all. The lonely nights. The long, gruesome days. The points where he tried to find something new to live for, either reaching his goal or giving up on it. He remembered it all, but it didn't hurt now like it did then. Yes, the infamous Jaganshi could feel, he just stopped showing it a long time ago. When no one was around to care, what point was there to show any sort of emotion?

There wasn't one.

Hiei jerked from his own thoughts as something wet touched his arm. He looked down to find the onna's face buried into his arm and her hands gripping his arm so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Her body shook and he could barely keep the thought away from his mind that she must be remembering something too. When Yusuke pushed open the doors to a room, Kiyomi looked up, face pale as if she had just seen a ghost, and her grip tightened. At this rate, Hiei might have permanent scars on his arm from her nails. Yet, he could not bring himself to shrug her off like he could with others. He felt her sorrow radiating from her; a heavy perfume of fear enveloped her being to follow suit and for the first time in a long time, he could not find the heart to push the demoness away. Her trembling increased as he took a step towards the door and she closed her silver eyes for a moment, seemingly attempting to find her strength and nerve to go inside.

She took a step forward. And again. And again.

She walked into the room, alongside the fire demon and he gauged her reaction as she went in. Silver orbs fell upon the bed where she used to sleep once upon a time. Her small little dog bed besides the queen sized bed dressed in hues tinged with dark colors and grey. Lots of grey upon her dog bed. She moved forward, to the fire demon's surprise, and released him in doing so. Memories flashed in her mind, both good and terrifying. Flashes of kindness. Warmth. Then suddenly flashes of blood and tears came and went just as fast. Tears streaked down her cheeks, falling from her chin to her bosom. Her hands shook as she reached out; crouching to touch the fuzzy bed she used to sleep in, quite happily, once upon a time.

The fire demon glared at the bed. That was an animal's bed. Not a demon's! Yet she seemed to cry out of a longing as she caressed it gently. Those soft skinned finger tips brushing gently against the bed as though it were a fragile thing. She moved to her knees as she petted the bed.

"Ah ha!" came Botan's cry of triumph.

Hiei did not miss Kiyomi's cringe of shock.

"Blood. Just like Ayame had said."

"How can you be sure that it belongs to either Master Genkai or Kuwabara?" Kurama inquired, "Shouldn't we have it tested?"

Botan nodded. "I see your point, Kurama, but we used some of Spirit World's technology to trace their energies here. When Ayame found their traces here, she found this blood and tested it for energies as well."

"And?" Yusuke grunted impatiently.

"And it's a match to Kuwabara. He must have given a good fight. There are splotches everywhere."

Splotches?

Hiei found movement in the corner of his eye and saw Kiyomi moving. She stood slowly, seemingly painlessly, and moved from the bed to see what Botan was pointing at. Splotches of crimson dirtied the hardwood floors of the large room, making her shiver. How many times had she cleaned blood up from these floors? How many times did she watch blood be sprayed upon these floors? How many times had her blood been shed on the very same hardwood? How many times?

She shook her head, attempting to snap herself from such thoughts. Her eyes flickered from the blood to the nightstand beside the bed. A piece of bright blue fabric caught her eye. It was not part of the room. She moved towards it and tilted her head to the side, grabbing it and pulling. The sound of ripping fabric caught everyone's attention and she turned, holding the piece of fabric out confused.

_This doesn't belong here._ Her thoughts flittered in Hiei's mind.

"Hn. She says that doesn't belong here."

Kurama moved and gently took it from her grasp.

"It's part of Kuwabara's jacket. It must have caught when they struggled."

"Struggled?" Yusuke spat, "Looks like they were perfectly bound and he got the shit beat out of him!"

Hiei glared.

"Yusuke, that's not a good image." Botan said, a rare frown upon her features, "I don't want to think about Kuwabara getting hurt like that."

Kiyomi shivered, this time obviously.

_It wouldn't be the first time…_

"Hn." Hiei said, "This isn't the first time."

"What do you mean?" Kurama inquired.

The fire demon turned to look at the sound demon. She glanced down at the floor and simply stared. Hiei did not intrude upon her thoughts because he could tell that memories were flickering through her mind. Her eyes could practically show it. At one moment he could have sworn that he could see pictures flash in her mind. When Yusuke began to make his displeasure obvious, Hiei glared at the female. He moved towards her, around the not so perky grim reaper and laid a hand on her should-

_"AH!" _

_ She heard the scream. She was hidden in the bathroom, beneath the sink. Her usual hiding spot when Master brought other females, human females, into the room. Her snowy white locks and silver hair were dead give-a-ways her Master taught her and therefore she must be hidden. _

_ That and, to the human eye, she still looked like a minor._

_ It started with moans before the scream. Before he began to 'play rough' and begin to overtake the young girl; before he began his brainwashing of the young woman in his bedroom. He did this frequently. He'd go out and find a girl, bring her home, make her hide in the bathroom while he had his way with her and began to turn her from a simple girl from the city into a common whore for the amusement of the men he considered his clients. _

_ Another scream rippled through the air and the young Kiyomi shivered, covering her ears. She didn't want to think about it. Her Master's hands upon another woman. Her Master taking what he desired physically and changing her emotionally to obey his every command. She didn't want to think about it. _

_ "No! Stop!" _

_ She began to get angry. She covered her ears as the sounds of her Master with that girl began to grow. She curled into a ball and rocked back and forth attempting to release her anger and frustration in the way she rocked. She knew she would endure the torture for hours. _

_ The mere torture of jealousy. _

A hand shook Hiei from the memory. He shook his head, ripping his hand from Kiyomi's shoulder to grip at his forehead. The overwhelming emotions in which the girl felt were strong and bitter. As if the mere idea of that bastard touching another woman sickened her. Angered her. He looked to who had shaken him and saw Yusuke looking at him as though he had gone insane. The detective's mouth moved but he couldn't hear anything. Instead he turned to look at the sound demon. A sudden urge compelled him to reach out to her and finish the vision, or more precisely the memory, in which she was reliving. She could see Botan gently holding the girl's arm, her bubble gum pink eyes flickering between the two of them as she tried to gain Kiyomi's attention. He shook the detective from him and reached out to the sound demon. He could see Kurama reaching for him, something upon the fox demon's lips, but before Hiei could comprehend what it was he was saying, the vision returned.

_The tears streaked down her face as she heard the last signs of Master finishing with the girl. She was eventually drug from the room and placed elsewhere, a soon-to-be toy for his customers. When a knock came to the door, she crawled from the cabinet beneath the sink and rubbed at her face. Swinging open, the door made a sound as it hit the wall and she turned to look up at her Master. His hair was disheveled and he had a content smirk upon his face as his magenta eyes skimmed the room. He found his target, face downcast as she was taught. She curtsied and stood, her small frail body trembling slightly. _

_ "Come. You shall sleep besides me tonight."_

_ Her heart fluttered as he turned away from her. She looked up at him hopefully before her heart seemed to shatter. _

_ "Right after you clean this bitch's mess."_

If Hiei could, he would have screamed. The wave of emotions swirling about the demoness was almost too much for even him to bear. He held fast to her shoulder as the vision changed.

**_'Master!' _**

_ Her thoughts here all she had now. Her neck bandaged from the near death reaming in which he had given her. He took her only source of power away and she was just barely recovered when he decided that she was no more any use to him than the other females he held in his brothel. She was ripped from her bed and forcefully moved to downstairs. She was forced pass the dining hall where she could barely see a glimpse of her Master with another human female as she was being drug away. She opened her mouth and it looked like she would have screamed if she could. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she slowly stopped fighting the men moving her. _

_ Her heart was breaking. _

Hiei was ripped away from Kiyomi. The world was silent for a few moments as her tear stained face with the bloodied bandaged neck slowly dissipated from his view to be replaced with Kurama trying to gain his attention. Hiei's hand flew to his chest. It was a feel he never knew of before and it was so painful that it even rivaled the pain of his Jagan being put in. No. It surpassed that, he decided. It was the worse pain he had ever felt. His body shook as she stood there, the world slowly coming back into focus and finally he could hear again.

"-her from him. Don't let them touch."

"W-what happened Kurama?!"

"The fuck's going on?"

Three voices. Three instead of four.

"I don't know."

"Kiyomi's crying!"

"Kurama, the fuck happened there?"

"I don't know Yusuke. And Botan, please calm yourself."

A voice he hasn't heard yet. One he would never hear, but he felt what she felt for sure. She was more than broken in. She was just simply broken.

"Is Hiei going to be okay?"

"I think he's in shock."

"Shock, Kurama? Hiei doesn't get shocked."

Blood. Suddenly all he could see was blood. Whether it was his, her's for that bastard's he did not know. He could just see it.

"He's not blinking…or moving!"

"Yeah well neither is she!"

"Please, just tend to Kiyomi, Botan. I'll try to snap Hiei out of it."

He had the sudden urge to kill someone.

The world swiftly came into focus and he blinked. Kurama was just turning towards him and Botan was holding onto Kiyomi, almost on the verge of hysteria, while Yusuke stood off to the side, uncertain of whether to be pissed off or confused. Kurama turned towards him and he could see Kiyomi's tears and her hands came to her throat. Her eyes were closed and he was about to move towards her when Kurama stepped fully in front of him, waving his hand in Hiei's face. The fire demon did not skip a beat to grab it before a snarled escaped him.

A sudden rage blossomed within him.

He released Kurama and took a few steps back, knowing that he may just swipe at the fox demon. He flexed his fingers, creating a fist and releasing it multiple times before he could get his anger in check. He glanced at the three companions whom looked at him warily, as if he was about to lose it. A feeling of betrayal rocketed through him.

They didn't trust him at that moment.

And why should they? He's not even sure what the hell just happened. All he knew was that he wanted to see the stupid vision finish. He wanted to know if her brokenness turned into hatred or something else. Questions flittered through his mind as he struggled to calm himself. He made sure his rage was under check before acknowledging Kurama's questioning stare.

"Hiei?" the fox demon began, a question within the name.

"Memories." Hiei rasped, dry mouthed and bitter.

Botan looked around the tall redhead, "Memories?"

"Her…memories." He rasped, his hands shaking as he balled them into fists, "She just relived some of her memories."

"Hiei, man, you don't sound good." Yusuke said.

"What kind of memories?" Kurama asked.

"Hn." Came the fire demon's response, "Bad ones."

"Tch. Cuz' that's new." Yusuke grumbled, unsatisfied with the demon's response.

"Hn."

He turned from the group and noticed the bathroom door slightly ajar. He moved towards it, curious to see where the younger Kiyomi had spent her days hiding from humans. He stepped in and crouched, eyeing the cabinet under the sink for a moment and frowning, biting his cheek.

This was ridiculous.

He was getting himself worked up over something he could not stop. Something he had no part of. He could not fathom the irresistible need to question the girl and get the answers or even the desire to poke around inside the twisted confines of her mind. Right now, Hiei Jaganshi wanted answers. And he knew those answers were out of his reach for the moment. No thanks to his companions, that is.

Bitterness. Oh how he remembers thee well.


End file.
